Denial
by eorocks
Summary: Olivia is back from Oregon, and she and Elliot are working their way through all the potential landmines that threaten the recovery of their friendship and partnership.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I hope you enjoy this new story. I haven't been able to write for several weeks, and so I have some people to thank. To JessicaR_NY for giving me this prompt. To clingybernie and kukrae for convincing me that I have at least one more EO story in me. And to all the other readers that support me by reading the story, whether you leave a comment or not!

EOEOEOEO

Elliot looked across his desk and watched as Olivia made notes on a thin pad of paper in front of her. She was focused on the task, but he knew it would be moments before she felt his gaze and would look up at him. She would raise one eyebrow and give him a questioning look, and he would smile and go back to his work, unable to tell her that sometimes, he felt a moment of intense panic and would have to make certain that she was actually there.

Sitting across from him.

Right where she was supposed to be.

Her undercover op had hit him hard. More than she'd ever know. He had never confessed to the sleepless nights, the gut-wrenching fear over not knowing where she was or who was watching her back, or the stab of pain every time he thought about the fact that she had left him, knowing the impact it would have on him.

She had _chosen_ to hurt him, and he wasn't quite sure if he had completely forgiven her for it.

Of course, he wasn't sure if she had truly forgiven him for the things that had led them here. He wasn't innocent in all of this.

He tried to focus on the only thing that mattered now.

She was back.

And slowly, they were figuring out how to be partners again. It was a slow process, as they dodged a myriad of topics that would threaten this tenuous détente. They weren't strong enough yet, but he hoped that they could get there someday soon. He wanted his Olivia back…and he thought she wanted that too.

"Hey."

Elliot realized he'd been staring off, lost in his thoughts, and he turned his attention back to Olivia. He saw a small smile on her face, and he felt his heart skip a half beat as he smiled back at her. He knew he had taken her for granted…he had assumed she would always be at his side. But he knew now how dangerous that was…to think he had that kind of control.

"Want to buy me lunch?" She asked, raising both eyebrows in question.

"Do I have a choice?" He teased, belaying the fact that he couldn't have been happier at the invitation. It was such a small thing, but not so long ago, he would have done almost anything to be sitting in their favorite diner, sharing their lunches across the table.

"Maybe I'll ask Fin." Olivia said, acting nonchalant as she looked across the squad room.

Elliot laughed and was out of his chair in a second. "Fin would never buy." He said, circling around their desks until he reached her chair. He touched her shoulder lightly before she stood up, and he leaned in before she could push herself out of her chair. "Thanks for asking."

EOEOEO

Olivia watched as Elliot snagged a fry from his plate and offered it to her.

She was happy to see that at least some of the small things hadn't changed.

Olivia accepted the fry and offered a quick thanks, flashing him a smile before she popped it in her mouth. It made her long for a time when things hadn't been so complicated between them. She knew they couldn't be those people anymore. They had both tried to bury those feelings, and it had blown up in a spectacular fashion. Of course, they still weren't talking about any of that, and she didn't know what that meant for them in the long term, but for now…they just had to find some kind of manageable working relationship. Patching up their friendship, or whatever they wanted to call it, would have to come later.

But in the interim, they could take baby steps.

Lunch was definitely one of the small things they should be able to manage.

And yet, maybe not.

The silence stretched out between them, as if each was afraid that the other was going to bring up a topic that was off-limits. If Elliot was worried about it, he needn't have been because there was no way she was going to risk breaking up the myriad of things that had haunted her over the past several months. They ran like a loop in her head, and even though she wanted answers, she didn't have the guts to put a voice to them.

"Want another fry?" Elliot asked, and she shook her head.

"No. Thanks." Olivia gave him another small smile. "I'm still working off the weight I gained when I was…away." She didn't know how she had managed to gain weight when she lived with the tree-huggers, but she had. They group didn't offer a gym membership, or she didn't have a lot of options for food, so she knew she shouldn't have been surprised. They also didn't have any mirrors. Of course, she knew her body had changed, but when she'd gotten back and tried on her clothes, she'd been somewhat taken aback by her new curves.

"You don't need to lose weight." Elliot said. "I think you look great."

Olivia noticed his eyes dipped down to her chest, but he recovered quickly and looked back up at her. She raised an eyebrow at him in question, surprised by it, but he shrugged his shoulders.

"What?" He asked. "You do."

"I'm out of shape. If I ever had to chase someone, I'd be in trouble. In fact, _you_ can probably beat me in a footrace." She teased. She had lorded her speed over him for years, but now she honestly didn't know who would win.

"Maybe I just let you win all those years." Elliot teased back.

Olivia rolled her eyes, reveling in the moment of normalcy between them. "Yeah right. Not likely." Her tone was sarcastic, but she had a smile on her face, and she saw a small smile on Elliot's face too. It seemed silly that they were enjoying lunch so much. They had eaten together hundreds of times over the years and thought nothing of it…but today… this felt like the start of something new.

With each of these small victories, Olivia felt herself relaxing into her old routine and it felt good. She saw signs of that in Elliot as well as they talked over lunch, and by the time they headed back to the precinct, she was in a good mood.

They were both laughing as they walked into the squad room, and she saw the look of surprise on Fin's face as they made their way into the room. She knew that she had underestimated the impact of her actions and the subsequent blowup on the rest of the team, and some day, she was going to have to make it up to them. But Fin's reaction seemed a little over the top. It wasn't like they were at each other's throats…

"Hey Elliot!"

The greeting interrupted her thoughts, and Olivia ran into Elliot as he stopped abruptly. She moved around him to hear the source of the edgy hello. She stifled an inward gasp as she saw the woman seated in Elliot's chair.

_Dani fucking Beck._

She was wearing jeans and a navy-blue quilted vest with a brown, long-sleeved t-shirt beneath. She had her feet propped up Elliot's desk, clad in hiking boots, and her unruly hair was pulled back in a haphazard ponytail.

"Dani."

Olivia could hear the surprise in Elliot's voice, bordering on downright shock. She looked at him and then back at Dani, and she saw Dani break her focus on Elliot to give her a once over. Dani's eyes raked over her, from head to toe, and then turned her attention back to Elliot.

Olivia felt a spark of anger at the other woman's clear dismissal of her, and she narrowed her eyes at her. Dani didn't seem to notice…or care. She dropped her feet and stood up, moving over towards where Elliot stood frozen.

"Hey!" She thumped him on the chest twice with her closed fist. "How's it going?"

Olivia worked hard to stifle her innate urge to push Dani away from him. Olivia had seen them together in the squad room before, but Dani's familiarity with Elliot wracked her to her core. She had no right to be that comfortable with him…for them to be close…after being partnered for such a short time.

Jealousy made her blood boil, even though she wouldn't acknowledge it as such, but it fought with the anger that was coiled within her. Things were finally returning to something akin to normal and now Dani Beck dared to show up to upset everything?

_No._

She wanted to step in between them…to push Dani back…but Elliot was already walking around his previous partner to get to his desk. Olivia stood there awkwardly, deciding her next step, but she really had no alternative but to retreat to her own desk. She dropped her keys loudly, and Dani glanced over at her sharply before she turned back towards Elliot.

"Dani…" Elliot started, nodding towards Olivia. "This is my partner. Olivia."

Dani gave her a half a nod. "Yeah…we've met."

Elliot drew his eyebrows together, confused by Dani's comment. "You met?"

Olivia still hadn't told Elliot about the timing of her return, her visit to the precinct or just how long it had been before she had returned to SVU. He would be livid if he knew she had been in town and hadn't reached out to him. "What brings you to SVU?" Olivia asked, clearly changing the subject. Elliot opened his mouth, as if to ask another question, but he must have decided to drop it as he turned his attention back to Dani.

"Yeah, I didn't think I'd ever see you around here again." He said.

Olivia watched as Dani looked at her for a moment before looking back at Elliot. She obviously could sense the tension in the room, and Olivia saw a small smile play across her lips. She hated that it gave Dani some power over her…as she had realized there was information that Olivia was withholding, but Olivia also knew it would be short-lived. She was certain that Elliot would ask her about Dani's comment the moment the pesky woman left the precinct.

"Yeah, well, I need to talk to you." Dani said.

"Yeah?" Elliot asked. "About what?" He couldn't imagine what Dani needed to discuss with him. They had said everything they needed to say before she'd left.

Dani shifted on her feet and glanced over at Olivia again. She looked around the squad room and her eyes settled on the hallway that led to the interrogation rooms. "Can we go somewhere private?"

Elliot lifted his eyebrows in question. He wondered if Dani felt intimidated by Olivia. Her comments about _his precious Olivia_ came to mind, a memory from not that long ago, so maybe he shouldn't be surprised. Of course, it didn't help that Olivia was standing at her desk, glaring at Dani with her most intimidating glare. He had seen that badass persona of hers make grown men wither…

"El…" Dani said with a level of annoyance, and she moved towards him, giving him no option but to move towards the other side of the squad room.

Olivia bristled at Dani's use of his nickname. No one else in the precinct called him by that moniker, and she hated it. Her eyes followed their retreating forms and as Elliot glanced back at her briefly before he disappeared, every rumor about the two of them came rushing back. Her mind started reeling with reasons Dani may be there..

Maybe Dani wanted back into SVU.

Maybe Dani wanted to pick up where they'd left off.

_Oh God_…maybe Dani was pregnant.

She brought her hand to her mouth as that particular scenario assaulted her.

"You OK?"

Olivia looked up and saw Fin staring at her with concern etched in his features. She shook her head slightly, trying to erase the thought. "Yeah." She sat down hard in her chair and gave Fin a small smile. "I'm fine." She said unconvincingly.

Fin pushed himself up out of his chair and walked over slowly, glancing over in the direction that Elliot and Dani had disappeared in before looking back at Olivia. "You know, I never really liked that woman." He said conspiratorially. He looked at his watch. "Too early for a drink." He said. "Want to go for lunch?"

Olivia appreciated the gesture, especially since Fin knew she'd just come back from lunch. He saw her need to get out of here, but it was fighting with her need to be here when they came out. For some irrational reason, she felt like if she left, Dani would sit down at her desk and pick up where she'd left off.

"_Over my dead body_." She muttered under her breath.

"Huh?" Fin asked.

She glanced back up at him. "Thanks Fin. But I'm not going anywhere."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Wow! I was blown away by the reaction to this story and absolutely loved your reviews. It's great to hear your thoughts on the story. I hope I don't disappoint!

EOEOEOEO

Elliot and Dani weren't gone for much longer than 20 minutes, but each minute felt like an hour. Olivia tried to keep her mind from wandering by focusing on finishing up the work in front of her, but it wasn't working. She kept imagining them in the interrogation room…standing too close together…Dani's hand on his upper arm…

Her entire body was tense, and her mind couldn't be fooled into thinking about something else, and she needed them to come out of the damned interrogation room _now_.

And then, she heard Dani's laugh, and Elliot's voice, and she knew they were coming back towards the squad room. It took everything she had to keep herself from looking. She was determined to look unbothered and nonchalant about Dani's intrusion, and she was working overtime to keep her mouth shut and her eyes on the papers in front of her.

She caught them walking past Elliot's desk in her peripheral vision, and it pissed her off even more that Dani didn't even toss out a _goodbye_ or _nice to meet you_. Not that she would have acknowledged her, but Olivia wanted to satisfaction of snubbing her.

Olivia closed her eyes once they were out of the room. She had to get control of herself. This jealous, angry, petty person wasn't who she needed to be right now. Especially if she and Elliot were going to repair their friendship.

Olivia sighed heavily as she braced her elbows on her desk and dropped her head into her hands.

Who was she kidding?

She and Elliot both had an issue with protectiveness when it came to each other, and it had only morphed and grown over the years. She was an idiot to think that either one of them could just turn all of that off now that she was back. They were going to have to fight it.

_Or give in to it._

Olivia lifted her head.

_No._ They weren't going to give into it. That impulse had torn them apart and she couldn't bear the thought of that. She had spent a lot of time thinking about Elliot while she'd been in Oregon and had finally convinced herself that if Elliot had wanted to pursue a relationship with her, he would have done it by now, and that she was holding on to something that didn't really exist.

The whole situation with Dani had only confirmed it.

The thought that he had slept with her after such a short time was like knife to her heart.

_Fucking Dani Beck._

As far as she was concerned, Elliot could do whatever he liked.

Just as long as it wasn't with _that_ woman.

"Hey."

Olivia looked up to see Elliot had walked back into the squad room and was easing himself into his chair.

"Hey." She said airily, looking at him for only a few seconds before looking back down at her desk. Hopefully he took that as disinterest as she intended, but the man could read her like a book, so she wasn't sure she was going to get away with it. But she was pretty certain the last thing she wanted to hear was the details of his conversation with Dani.

Except.

_Damn._

She was dying to know. She gritted her teeth together as she felt Elliot's stare focused on her. Finally, she snapped. "What?" She asked, looking up at him.

"You're pretty focused on finishing up that report." Elliot said, nodding towards the papers piled in front of her.

"I am."

"Maybe it would be easier to update those files if you used a pen." Elliot said, humor in his voice.

Olivia cursed under her breath but stood up abruptly. "Good detective work." She said haughtily. "But I was just getting up." She had no idea where she was going to go, but she couldn't let him know she was sitting there stewing. She headed off in the direction of the bathrooms, knowing that was one place that he couldn't follow her.

Elliot watched her retreating form, disappointed with the change in Olivia's mood. She had been so happy when they'd come back from lunch, but the appearance of Dani had changed all that. He knew she had a problem with Dani…she had made it obvious immediately upon her return to the squad. But he didn't know why. Olivia was the one that had left, and she had to expect that Cragen would assign a replacement. She had no reason to be pissed off.

_Yeah, we've met._

Dani's response when he had introduced Olivia had surprised him, but even more surprising was Olivia's rush to change the subject. There was something there, and yet, when he'd asked Dani about it in the interrogation room, but she had told him to ask Olivia.

He wasn't sure if he could. At least not right now.

But he was dying to know what she'd meant. He couldn't imagine how Olivia would have ever met her. Dani had left SVU at least a week or two before Olivia had come back, and there would have been no other reason for their paths to cross.

Elliot glanced over in the direction that Olivia had disappeared, but there was no sign of her. He wondered if he should try to find her, but he decided to leave her for now. She was clearly ticked off, and he wasn't ready to navigate that. He was afraid they'd get into an argument, and that was the last thing he wanted.

He'd wait her out…he'd wait until they were on more firm footing before he asked her about that particular comment.

Just a few minutes later, Olivia walked back into the squad room. She came around their desks and sat down, glancing over at him. He watched as she picked up her pen, and she bit down on the end of it lightly as her eyes met his. He could see she was trying to act casual, but the intensity in her eyes was still there. He knew she was upset about Dani's appearance, but her reaction seemed over the top.

"So, that was your old partner, huh?" Olivia asked.

Elliot had expected her to avoid the topic, so it caught him slightly off-guard.

"Yeah." He said, leaning back in his chair and lifting his arms and lacing his hands behind his head.

"Did you know she was stopping by?"

"Nah." He knew Olivia was fishing, and it occurred to him that maybe she trying to find out if they had kept in touch. "I hadn't talked to her since she left." He hoped that would ease her feelings about Dani a little, even though he didn't understand her misplaced anger.

"Hmmm." Olivia said as set her pen on her desk. "So…"

"Benson. Stabler."

Olivia looked up and saw Cragen had come out of his office, a slip of paper in his hand. That was never good news. Elliot swirled in his chair and stood up, striding over to where Cragen was standing. Olivia swore under her breath, knowing they were about to get a new case and her gentle probing would have to stop so they could focus on the victim and the perp. She couldn't hear the conversation between Elliot and Cragen, but Elliot was nodding his head and she knew he'd fill her in on the way to the crime scene.

Moments later, Elliot headed back towards their conjoined desks, and she started to stand up. But she was reaching in her drawer for the car keys when she saw Elliot sitting back down at his desk.

"We don't have a new case?" She asked.

Elliot looked up at her before he glanced back down at the scrap of paper Cragen had given him. "Huh? Oh. No." he said.

Olivia waited for a further explanation, but he offered none, so she reclaimed her chair. Elliot started digging in one of his drawers, and it was clear that he wasn't going to offer up any information. She let out an exasperated sigh, making sure it was loud enough that he could hear her, and she went back to her tiresome paperwork. This was the part of the job she hadn't missed, and she wrote angrily as she updated her notes on a case they had just closed.

Elliot could feel Olivia seething from across the desk. He didn't know what to do about it, since he didn't want to bring up Dani or the piece of paper in his hand was only going to make things worse. He cursed whatever power had chosen this particular time to drop Dani back into his life.

Things had finally been going in the right direction.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or not?" Olivia had finally snapped, and her question was a controlled bark across their desks. Loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough that neither Fin or Munch would be able to hear what she'd said.

Elliot let out a sigh. He glanced over to see if anyone was paying any attention, but if they were, they were doing a good job of hiding it. Neither Fin or Munch had been big fans of Dani either, and he'd had to navigate all of the tension around Olivia's absence and Dani's appearance. He'd had no choice but to try to make the best of it, and to try to get the rest of the team to cut her a break. It hadn't been easy.

"It's not a big deal." Elliot said, trying to downplay the entire situation.

"If it's not a big deal, then why won't you tell me what Cragen said?"

"Let's go somewhere where we can talk privately." Elliot said.

Olivia furrowed her brows. That didn't sound good, and now she was almost sorry she had pushed him. Her mind started wandering away with her, coming up with several different scenarios.

Maybe Elliot wasn't happy being partnered with her again.

Maybe he was transferring out.

_God_…maybe he was following Dani to whatever ends of the NYPD she had disappeared to…

"Liv."

Olivia realized Elliot was standing up at his desk, waiting for her response. He lifted his brow and jerked his head in the direction of the interrogation rooms. She hesitated, because she was certain she wasn't ready to hear what he had to say. She wasn't sure why she had this doomsday attitude, assuming it was going to be something she didn't want to hear, but all the signs pointed in that direction.

"Just forget it." She said.

"Jesus Liv." Elliot was frustrated now. This whole afternoon had turned to shit, and he was having a hard time navigating through it.

Olivia was surprised at his tone, as if he was angry with her. That pissed her off even more. She pushed herself up from her chair, slapping her hands of her desk as she did so, and she saw Fin and Munch's heads snap up in her peripheral vision. They looked away quickly, probably in anticipation of a historic Bensler-Stabler blow-up.

"Fine." Olivia said tersely, pushing herself out of her chair, noticing Elliot hadn't even bothered to wait for her as he headed towards interrogation. When she reached the first interrogation room, she made sure the speaker volume was off, made her way into the room, and closed the door behind her. Elliot was leaning with his butt against the edge of the table, and she leaned against the door and crossed her arms beneath her breasts.

"You said you wanted to know what's going on." Elliot said. "And now you're giving me attitude." He knew that wasn't a good start to the conversation, but now he was pissed off and he couldn't help himself.

"I just think it's odd that what's her face suddenly shows up, and then you get all secretive."

"Dani." Elliot knew he was pushing her, but for some reason, Olivia's refusal to say her name ticked him off on another level. "Her name is Dani."

"Whatever." Olivia said, looking away from him and scanning the room.

"Why do you have such an issue with her?" Elliot asked, genuinely interested.

Olivia shook her head slightly, opening her mouth, and then closing it again. "I don't have an issue with her."

"Bullshit." Elliot said.

Olivia pressed her lips together. She wasn't about to ask him about his affair with her…mostly because she didn't want to acknowledge it in any way. If she didn't ask, she could pretend it hadn't happened. "Are you going to tell me why she was here or not? Does it have something to do with an old case or what?"

Elliot didn't want to let the whole Dani topic drop, but he could tell he wasn't going to get anywhere. "Not an old case. A new one."

Olivia knitted her brows together. "Why is she asking you about an SVU case?"

"It's not an SVU case…" Elliot started. "Or…at least…" He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what it is."

"You're not making any sense." Olivia said impatiently.

Elliot pushed himself off the table but didn't move any closer to Olivia. She seemed intent on keeping some distance between them, and he knew it was probably smart to oblige. "Listen." He started. "Dani came in today because she's caught a murder case. She's been working it for a while and things aren't adding up. So, she started digging and she's thinking that maybe the shooter isn't telling her the whole truth about what happened. She thinks maybe the woman was trafficked, but she's not sure."

"So, she's turning the case over to SVU?"

"Not yet. She wants me to take a look at the files and…" He shrugged his shoulders slightly and let out a breath. "Maybe talk to the accused shooter…"

Olivia could tell her was holding back. "You're going to partner with her on this?" She couldn't believe it. Somehow, she'd come back and taken her rightful place next to Elliot, and now this _woman_ was whisking him away. She suddenly remembered the conversation he'd had with Cragen…the slip of paper. "You're officially transferring over to the 12th to work on this with her?"

"No!" Elliot said. "Not officially." In the back of his mind, he was wondering how Olivia knew that Dani worked at the 12th. "I'm just going to look at her files…talk to some people." He took a step closer, and he saw Olivia shrink back slightly, so he stopped. "I'm not leaving Liv." He needed to reassure her, since they were still on uneven footing.

"You mean, like I left you?" Olivia shot back.

"That's not what I'm saying." Elliot said forcefully, the volume of his voice increasing. He felt a blush of red creeping up his neck as his anger spiked. "Why are you acting like this?" He furrowed his brows. "I didn't ask Dani to drag me into this case. She asked me to take a look…I said I would. And then her Captain called Cragen and asked for my help." He raised his eyebrows. "What am I supposed to do?"

Olivia knew he had a point, but she was too far gone to be rational. If Dani hadn't been appointed to SVU, she wouldn't have known Elliot, and wouldn't have thought to ask for any input from SVU. "You could say no."

"What if she's right? What if this woman is a victim?" Elliot asked, appealing to her sense of duty…her dedication to victims.

"You're right." Olivia said. "You should go work with her."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. Her voice was calm, which told him she was anything, and he knew he had seconds before she stormed out of the room. "Liv." He said, not sure what to say to her that would make this situation palatable. He'd never been good at talking things through with her, even though he'd been working on it since she'd returned, and he cursed his inability to say the right thing. "I told you…I'm not transferring out. I'm just going to go over there this afternoon, take a look at the files…" Olivia had dropped her arms and was stepping away from the door. "Wait…" He reached out towards her but didn't touch her. "Maybe…maybe you could come along." Dani hadn't asked for Olivia's help, but surely, she wouldn't object.

Well…maybe she wouldn't object.

"You're joking right?" She looked at him incredulously.

"No. Maybe it's a good idea. I mean…you always see things I don't. It's why we make a good team." The more Elliot thought about it, the more he knew it was a bad idea. Getting Olivia and Dani in the same room would be disastrous, but he was desperate to let Olivia knew that he didn't want to leave her.

Olivia shook her head, looking at him like he was a complete idiot.

"You really don't understand anything, do you?" Olivia asked, not expecting or wanting an answer. She took in a deep breath and let it out in a huff as she reached for the door. She looked back at Elliot, seeing the look of dismay on his face. "Just go…"


	3. Chapter 3

Elliot walked into the 12th precinct, to see it was even more crowed and chaotic than the 1-6. He had to ask a couple of different people before he located Dani holed up in a small file room. She was focused on some photos pinned on an old bulletin board, and she barely looked up as he walked in. The room was stuffy and warm, but he closed the door behind him anyway.

"Hey." He said, but she didn't respond right away. He took a moment to take in the small room. She had pushed a small table and chairs to the side, but the table was piled with files and notepads. If there was any kind of organization, it wasn't immediately relevant, but he knew she had always been a bit sloppier than Olivia.

He cut the mental comparison short, knowing it was one of the things that had always bothered Dani. What she didn't understand was how hard it was to stop comparing them, when you'd been partnered with the same person for as long as you could remember…and the two of you synced so well.

_I'm not your precious Olivia._

That biting comment came back to haunt him more than once.

Especially the word _precious_.

He tried not to think about it as Dani finally turned to face him.

"Surprised to see you here." Dani said, wearing a small, smug smile on her face.

"Why's that? I said I'd be over." Elliot said, genuinely confused by her statement.

Dani shrugged. "Just seems like maybe you're on a short leash."

Elliot didn't appreciate the comment, and he knew his facial expression reflected that because she put her hands up in a defensive gesture.

"I'm just saying…" She took a step towards him and socked him gently on the shoulder. "Lighten up."

"Can we just talk about the case please?" Elliot asked, nicking a folder from the top of a pile on the desk.

Dan grabbed it out of his hand. "Don't mess up my system." She said with a laugh, placing it carefully back on the pile.

Elliot let out a sigh, realizing that he'd forgotten how challenging it could be to work with her sometimes. He took a deep breath. "OK." He said, crossing his arms in front of him and widening his stance. "Walk me through it."

An hour later, he had a pretty good idea of the people involved, and after watching the videotaped interview with the suspect, he understood why Dani was suspicious that all may not be as it seemed. The woman refused to say much, but her body language and affect was one he'd seen before in many victims, with a layer of fear on top of it.

"So, what's the next step?" Elliot asked.

"I want you to talk to her." Dani. "One on one."

Elliot shook his head. "I don't know." He said. "What makes you think she's going to talk to me?" His thought was that the person they really needed was Olivia. She connected with victims like no one he'd ever seen, but that wasn't likely to happen.

"I don't think she's going to open up to you." Dani said. "But I need to know if you get the same vibe as me. Cap'n and the ADA want to prosecute her for murder, and I just think there's more there."

"Murder is murder." Elliot said. "No matter what happened to her."

"That's bullshit." Dani said. "You know the jury will be more lenient if they know the whole story." She was gesturing with her hands with an earnest expression on her face. "She shouldn't be sitting in a jail cell." She took a step closer. "That's why I need you to talk to her and tell me if you see the same things I'm seeing."

Elliot knew she was right, but he'd seen it happen too many times. "You need someone to back up your gut feeling."

"Yes. Someone that has experience with this."

Elliot nodded. "OK. I'll talk to her."

"Thank you." Dani reached out and wrapped her hand around one of his forearms, still folded in front of him. "I really appreciate it."

"When?"

"No time like the present." She said with a smile. "Ready for a field trip to Rikers?"

Elliot looked at his watch. It was 3 in the afternoon, and with a trip to Rikers, they wouldn't be done until way past 6. Probably even later. He had really hoped to make it back to the precinct before the end of the day. He wasn't happy about how things had ended with Olivia, and he knew they were both going to stew about it all evening. He didn't want that, since things were finally improving between them, but he also knew that Dani wasn't going to let it go.

The sooner this was over, the better.

"Got somewhere you've got to be?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Let's go."

Half an hour later, they were in a sedan and were moving slowly, stuck in the late afternoon traffic of the city. Dani was driving, and Elliot looked absentmindedly out the window, a nervous energy coursing through him.

"So…" Dani started, her eyes focused on the traffic ahead of her. "She came back."

Elliot realized Dani had no way of knowing what had happened after she'd decided she couldn't cut it in SVU any longer. They hadn't stayed in contact, and he had no idea where she'd ended up until she walked back into his squad room and presented him with this case.

"Yeah." He said, not offering any other information. This wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss.

"How's that going?" Dani probed.

"Fine." Elliot said, once again choosing not to elaborate. He also kept his focus on the road and the endless sea of buses, taxis and black sedans.

"What did you tell her about me?" Dani asked.

Elliot looked over at her then. "What? Nothing." He furrowed his brows. "Why?"

Dani shrugged slightly. "She just looked at me like I'd killed her dog or something."

Elliot had seen the expression on Olivia's face, and he knew exactly what Dani was talking about, but he hadn't told her anything about Dani. He'd answered Olivia's questions with the briefest of answers, and he didn't think that was enough for her to have formed any kind of opinion about Dani. "Olivia can be…" He let that sentence trail off because he wasn't even sure he had the right words to convey everything she was. Only that he needed to defend her.

"Protective?" Dani suggested.

Elliot was slightly taken aback. "What? No." He thought about it for a second. "I mean, that's her job. To have my back. Just like I have hers."

Dani let out a small laugh. "Yeah."

"Just like I had yours, when we were partnered up." Elliot said to stress the point.

"Yeah. Gotcha." Dani said.

Elliot could see that she had more to say, but she had obviously decided to drop it. The car was silent for the next few minutes, but they were only about 20 minutes our from Rikers. Elliot argued with himself to drop the entire conversation, but one thing was still niggling at him. He let out a sigh. "When you came into the squad room…and I introduced you to Olivia…" He looked back over at her, and she glanced back at him before turning her attention back to driving. "You said you'd met…" Elliot saw Dani press her lips together as he framed up the question. "Where? How?" His question trailed off because he didn't know the right question to ask. They were both NYPD cops, so they could have met in any number of ways.

Dani glanced over at him again as she stopped at a red light. He could see her eyes searching his. "She came into the squad room."

Elliot furrowed his brows. "What? When?" The question came out a little louder than he'd planned, and he saw her retreat slightly at his vehemence. But right now, his mind was working overtime, trying to figure out how, because the timelines didn't overlap.

"I don't know…" Dani said with a shrug. "A couple weeks before I left maybe?"

Elliot shook his head. "That can't be right." He was trying to rationalize the timeline in his head, because Olivia hadn't come back to the team until a couple of weeks after Dani had left. It didn't make any sense. He looked back over at Dani and repeated his statement.

"I don't know." Dani said. "I don't remember." She backpedaled.

Elliot was surprised to hear uncertainty in her voice. She had never been one to be shy or to back away from any topic. He saw her shift uneasily in her seat. "BS."

Indignant Dani returned. "You know what? I don't need to be grilled by you. I'm just answering your question. I don't know why it's such a big deal that we've met. I didn't even know who she was. She came into the squad room a couple of weeks before I left. She asked for you, I told her you weren't there, and she went and talked to Cragen. She never even told me her name. I didn't realize who she was until I saw her standing at my desk…or what used to be my desk…today."

"She asked for me?"

"Jesus." Dani muttered, rolling her eyes.

"What did you tell her?" He asked.

"I didn't…"

Elliot interrupted her. "Why didn't you tell me that she came into the precinct?"

"What? I'm supposed to tell you about every person that comes in looking for a detective? I told you, I didn't know who she was." Dani said, as they approached the gates at Rikers.

"But she asked for Cragen?"

Dani looked pointedly at Elliot. "Listen. Why is this such a fucking big deal? So what? She came in. I met her." She shook her head. "If that's an issue, I don't know why. But I've told you everything I know, so maybe you'd better go talk to _her_. Maybe she can answer your questions."

Elliot was pissed off now, but he knew she was too. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the guard at the gate was approaching the car, and the conversation had to end.

The gates opened slowly, and Elliot stewed in his anger. He knew his anger was probably misplaced, but without answers, it was all he had right now.

He needed to talk to Olivia.

They pulled up in the main parking lot and found a spot. Dani get out of the car quickly and slammed the door, coming around the front of the car and standing there with her arms crossed in front of her body. Elliot got out slowly and took a deep breath.

"Listen." Dani laid into him. "I need you to have your head in the game." She extended her arms towards the prison building. "I can't have you go in there all hot-headed."

"I know." Elliot took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"We're going to stand out here as long as it takes for you to get your shit together."

"Dani!" Elliot interrupted her tirade. "I get it. I know." His mind was still going a mile a minute, and he was itching to get back to the precinct, but he knew the only way that was going to happen was to get this interview over with. He stood with his hands on his hips and looked at Dani. She was pissed. Her lips were clamped together…her jaw set. She seemed to be considering if he could really do this or not, and he felt his anger start to spark again.

"I think you're more interested in storming back to the 1-6 and talking to your partner." Dani accused. "Then you are about helping me on this case."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "I said I'd help and I'm here." He took a step towards her. "The important thing here is your suspect, and I understand that. No matter what. You know that."

Elliot saw her jaw working, but when he saw her shoulders drop and she let out a heavy sigh and he knew she had made up her mind. She nodded slightly and Elliot started towards the building.

He felt Dani's hand on his arm as he passed by and he stopped and turned towards her. "Listen." She said. "I don't want to argue with her. I really wanted to…I mean I _want_ to…work on this case with you. If that's going to be an issue…"

"It's not going to be an issue." Elliot said, reassuring her.

Dani looked dubious, but she nodded and dropped her hand. "OK." She gave him a quick smile. "OK."

Elliot watched her as she walked towards the prison door, trying to get his head in the game. He was still preoccupied with thoughts of Olivia. The emotional ping pong since her return was taking a toll on both of them, and lunch today seemed like a lifetime ago. He fingered his phone that was stashed in his pocket, wondering if he could send a quick text and ask to meet up with her later, but he saw Dani pause at the door.

"Coming?" Dani asked.

Elliot nodded.

Olivia would have to wait.


	4. Chapter 4

Elliot looked at his watch as Dani pulled up to the 1-6. It hadn't taken them long at Rikers, as their suspect, Natalia, wouldn't say much. They'd given up after 20 minutes. But traffic back into the city had been a nightmare, and it was almost 7 by the time she rolled to a stop.

"We didn't really get a chance to talk." Dani said, putting the car into park.

Elliot sighed. He had been preoccupied when they'd left Rikers and he knew the vibe he'd been giving off had kept Dani from peppering him with questions. "Yeah." He looked at the doors of the building, wondering if Olivia was still inside.

"So, do you get the same vibe from Natalia as I do?" Dani asked, turning towards him in her seat.

Elliot nodded. The minute he'd seen Natalia's reaction to him…a man…in authority…he knew it was more than just the usual reaction to talking to the police or finding herself in this situation. Her entire demeanor screamed victim, and just didn't buy that she was a cold-blooded murderer.

What she was a victim of was another question.

She'd come from Eastern Europe. It could have been a hard childhood marred by war, famine or strife. It could have been child abuse or neglect. It could be rape or incest. Natalia had refused to answer any questions, and they had left without any answers.

"Good." She smiled as she said it. "I knew something was there. That I wasn't making it up. But I just needed someone to corroborate that feeling."

"What's our next step?" Elliot asked. "Because I don't see her suddenly spilling her guts."

"I agree. I don't know." Dani said with a heavy sigh. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she looked out through the windshield. "I'll have to think about it."

Elliot saw Dani lean forward slightly, and he followed her gaze. "Isn't that…"

Olivia.

She was walking out of the station house, but never looked in their direction as turned in the opposite direction and headed down the sidewalk. He was surprised to see her, considering he had imagined she'd have left quite a while ago, and he wondered if she'd been waiting for him to come back.

He glanced over at Dani, knowing they weren't done with their conversation, but he wanted to catch Olivia.

Elliot turned to Dani, and he saw her roll her eyes.

"We were done, right?" Elliot already had his hand on the door handle, but he wasn't sure of her answer.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow." Dani said.

Elliot was already out the door when he heard Dani's parting shot.

"Don't tell me you're not on a short leash."

He didn't bother to respond or even look back at her. He slammed the door and started walking in the direction Olivia had headed, and his eyes searched for her in the dim light of the streetlamps. He wondered how the hell she had gotten so far ahead of him, and he broke into a slight jog, hoping she didn't duck in somewhere or disappear down into a subway station.

He finally spotted her as she paused for a _do not walk_ signal, and he could see the impatience in her stance as she stood in place. He was still a block away, when the signal turned to _walk_, and he saw her launch herself into the intersection. It made him wonder if she had an appointment or was meeting someone, or if she was just walking with her normal purposefulness.

Maybe she had waited for him, anticipating his return, and was angry that he hadn't come back.

As he moved quickly to try to catch up with her, he realized that he wasn't sure what he was going to say when he caught up with her. He wanted to ask her about meeting Dani in the squad room and exactly what that mean, but he didn't think he could have that conversation without getting angry, and he didn't want to fight. Not anymore. Things were too raw between them.

But he knew himself, and he knew he might not be able to keep it in. At least not for very long.

Elliot realized she had stopped at another crosswalk, and that he was damn near caught up to her, and he debated stopping there…before she saw him…before he called out to her.

But he couldn't. She was angry or upset when he had left to meet Dani, and he didn't want to leave things like that again.

"Liv." He called out. She didn't respond…didn't even flinch. He called her name a little louder. "Olivia!" This time, he was closer, and she turned. He saw a surprised expression on her face, as if he was the last person she expected to see.

Maybe he was.

The _walk _signal started flashing and the crowd started moving, and for a second, he expected her to turn her back on him and walk with them. But she didn't, and he closed the gap between them, huffing slightly from jogging to catch up.

"Where did you come from?" Olivia asked as Elliot stopped in front of her. She looked past him, but she realized that he must have been hustling to catch up to her, based on his heavy breathing. "Did you run from the precinct?"

"I didn't run." He said, taking one last deep breath. He straightened up. "I might have jogged a little."

Olivia nodded, fighting to keep her impatience and anger in check. She had sat at the precinct, trying to keep her mind off the fact that Elliot was sitting somewhere with Dani, but she hadn't had much success. She'd kept watching the door, disappointed with each person that passed through the doorway, until she couldn't stand it any longer. She had left in a bad mood, not looking forward to going home to her empty apartment, but not willing to sit at her desk any longer.

"Why are you chasing me down?" Olivia asked. "Did we catch a case?" She glanced at the phone in her hand, wondering if she'd missed a call from him or the Captain.

"No. I was pulling up to the precinct and I saw you walking out and I…" he closed his mouth. He really had no explanation for chasing her down…at least not one he was willing to tell her.

Olivia raised on eyebrow as she waited for a response. She pressed her lips together, trying to suppress any expression that let him know just how much it meant to her that he had chased after her. He was obviously (hopefully?) feeling the same unease as she was with the way they'd left things today. She cocked her head slightly, letting him know she was going to wait for an answer.

Elliot took a deep breath. "Can we…" He sighed, not exactly sure of what he wanted…except to stay with her. "Are you hungry? Can we just go grab a bite somewhere?"

Olivia considered his request, knowing she would say yes, but not wanting to agree too quickly. "I suppose I could eat."

Elliot nodded. "OK." He got a grin on his face. "OK." He glanced around, not even sure where they were. "Anyplace in particular you want to go?"

Olivia shrugged. "How about we walk until we find something that looks interesting?" She suggested.

"OK. Sounds like a plan."

The _walk_ signal flashed again, and they followed the crowd, off into the streets of Manhattan.

EOEOEOEO

"I have to say, I not typically a fan of Thai food, but this is pretty good." Elliot comment as he set down his fork. He smiled across the table at Olivia, feeling as if they'd recaptured some of the camaraderie they had shared at lunch earlier that day. Neither one of them had brought up Dani, the events of this afternoon, or the case she'd asked him to advise on. And he didn't bring up the information that Dani had shared with him.

He knew it was a cop-out on both their parts, but he was happy to just be sitting here with her, like the old times. And it seemed pretty obvious that she was too, as she had started the conversation with some dumb joke Munch had made right as they had sat down, clearly steering them into safe waters and setting the tone for the evening.

Still…it was going to have to come out.

The waitress brought them each another beer, and if Olivia was counting, it was Elliot's third and her second. She took a long sip, relishing the taste of it on her tongue. She was feeling very relaxed, which came as a surprise, because she'd been so wound up when she'd left the precinct. But she was enjoying the fact that Elliot had tracked her down, and that he was sitting here across from her and not out with Dani. She was also reasonably certain she was going to be able to avoid talking about Dani or the case, and she almost wanted to laugh at herself. Just a couple of hours ago, she wanted to know exactly what they were doing and why she absolutely _had _to have Elliot's help, and now, she didn't want to hear about it.

"See? You should listen to me more often." Olivia commented with a smirk.

"I listen to you all the time." Elliot said.

"No." Olivia said, shaking her head slightly. "You argue with me all the time. That's not listening." She let out a small laugh, but there was a small bit of truth to it. As the years had gone on, and tension between them escalated, they had resorted to arguments so many times. The thing that neither one would ever admit to is what those arguments were really about…or caused by.

Elliot swallowed and looked down at his beer. "Not anymore Liv." He said. Things had been rough since she'd been back, and they'd disagreed on quite a few cases. And he hated it, worried that he was going to drive her away again. They had talked it out one morning on his stoop, and he was so thankful for that early morning discussion. It had set them on the course they were on now.

Olivia heard the pain in his voice, and she needed to acknowledge it. "I know." She said softly. He had known she was joking, but she still felt the need to give him some affirmation. She reached across the table and ran her hand over his lightly. It was a gesture meant to comfort, but the moment she had touched him, it felt too intimate, and she pulled her hand back. "We're in a good place." She said, giving him a smile before she took another drink of his beer. She wanted to add _except for Dani_, but she didn't want to ruin this evening for them. It was on her mind though, and if that little bitch thought she was going to…

"Liv?"

Olivia looked back up at Elliot, realizing she had been lost in her own thoughts for a moment there. "Huh?"

"I said, I think it's times like this that I missed the most." Elliot said, leaning back in his chair.

"Eating Thai food together?" Olivia joked, feeling like they were wading into dangerous territory.

Elliot shook his head, and Olivia felt badly that she'd blown off his comment.

"I know what you mean." Olivia said. "But honestly? I missed all of it."

Now it was Elliot's turn to be surprised. She didn't talk about the time she was gone; hadn't said much of anything at all. He didn't say a word as she kept talking, a wistful look on her face.

"The work. The squad. New York." Her eyes focused back on his. "The stake-outs. The bad coffee. Late night breakfasts. Quick naps in the cribs." She hoped he understood that the list of things really only had one thing in common. _Him._ "Things I didn't expect to miss so much. Things I thought I needed a break from." It was the closest she could come to telling him just how damned much she had missed him, even though the whole time she was gone, she tried to tell herself that she didn't.

"It wasn't the same without you." Elliot said, reading between the lines. "None of it."

"Yes, but you were here. You still had the same routine…the same cases…the same squad…"

Elliot leaned forward, and this time, it was he that reached out to her, lightly grasping her hand. "I'm telling you…it was…" He shook his head, searching for the right word. "Almost unbearable." He knew it was probably revealing too much, but they were being honest, and he went with it. "The whole time you were gone, you knew what we were doing back here. But I had absolutely no idea where you were or what you were doing. If you were safe…"

"I was safe." She didn't tell him about her trip to the hospital or her arrest. Maybe some day she would, but not right now.

Elliot seemed to read her mind. "Are you ever going to tell me the details?"

Olivia shrugged. "Maybe some night, on a stake-out, when we're really bored, and we've run out of things to talk about." She said with a smile. "It's really not that interesting."

"I guess it's just strange, when it seems like we've been together almost constantly for so long, to have this black hole of time where we don't know what was going on with each other." He wanted desperately to bring up her return to New York and her return to the squad, but he wasn't ready for the answer. And he didn't want her to bring up Dani…because there were things about her that he didn't want to share with her.

"I know." Olivia said. "But maybe sometimes, it's OK not to know everything."

Elliot considered her comment for a moment, knowing the truth would come out at some point. "Maybe."

Olivia laughed and finished her beer. "OK." She said easily. "I'm full and I'm tired. It's been a hell of a day." She pushed her chair back slightly from the table. "I'm going to head home."

"Are you going to let me walk with you?"

"Worried about my safety Detective?" Olivia asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Not at all." Elliot said as he ushered her out of the restaurant. "Just not quite ready to end the night."

Olivia bit back a smile as they exited and turned in the general direction of her apartment. They fell easily into their strides, eating up the sidewalk as they matched step for step. They were both quiet, but she was okay with that. Every few moments, she caught him in her peripheral vision, stealing a glance over at her. She didn't react, but it was the same look he gave her when he'd look up from his desk multiple times per day. Somehow, it was reassuring to him…and she didn't mind.

They'd walked a couple of blocks, their shoulders bumping each other casually every once in a while, when she heard the ring tone from a cell phone. Both of their hands automatically went to their pockets, but she saw it wasn't hers. They both stopped and he looked at the screen. Olivia really hoped it wasn't Cragen, but when she saw the look on Elliot's face, she realized it was even worse.

Elliot slipped the phone back into his pocket, but he'd caught the expression on Olivia's face. She had known it was Dani. "C'mon. Let's go." He said, tipping his head in the direction they'd been headed. He saw Olivia hesitate a second, but then she started walking again. Some of the mood of the evening had changed, but he tried to ignore it. Two minutes later, his phone rang again. Olivia's steps faltered, but he kept walking, intent on ignoring it.

The sound grated on Olivia's nerves, as Elliot let it ring until it blessedly went to voicemail. She was annoyed now, and she was about to tell Elliot that she was going to catch a taxi, when it started ringing again. She stopped, and Elliot kept walking for a few steps until he realized she had stopped. He turned back towards her.

"Are you going to get that?" Olivia asked, her annoyance clear in her voice.

"No." Elliot said firmly.

"She's just going to keep calling." The moment the words were out of her mouth, the phone started ringing again.

Elliot fished the phone out of his pocket and stabbed at it impatiently. He spun away from Olivia as he answered the call. "What?" He tried to squelch the anger in his voice, but he wasn't very successful. At least Dani would know that it had better be important.

"Natalia tried to commit suicide." Dani said.

"Shit." Elliot said.

"Meet me at Mercy."

Elliot noticed Dani had hung up before he could even confirm he would meet her, but he already knew he would go. He steeled himself for Olivia's wrath, but as he turned towards her, he saw that she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia was already at her desk when Elliot walked in, and his plan to arrive ahead of her was officially shot. He walked over to her desk, noting that she hadn't even looked up at him, and placed the bakery bag in front of her.

"Good morning." He said, lingering at her desk.

"Morning." Olivia said, glancing up at Elliot briefly before she went back to reading her messages. She hadn't slept very well, and she hadn't been looking forward to coming into work at all. Hopefully Elliot would sense her mood and back off.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

"I got you a blueberry muffin and a scone. Wasn't sure what you'd be in the mood for."

"I already ate this morning." Olivia said, crumpling up one of the messages and tossing it into the wastebasket. Elliot clearly wasn't getting the message, as he lingered in place, and she sat back in her chair and looked up at him. "Was there something else?"

"Last night…" Elliot wanted to explain because she had taken off before she'd heard the reason for Dani's incessant calling.

"I don't need the details." Olivia said, cutting him off.

"Olivia…" Elliot said, losing patience.

"Elliot." She shot back at him. She hoped her tone would let him know that he just needed to back off, since he didn't seem to be getting the message.

"Can I talk to you in private?" Elliot asked, glancing over at Fin and Munch. He knew it was only moments until one of them made about comment about their fighting.

"I need to answer these calls." Olivia said. She knew she was being a downright bitch now, and that she was making him angry, but she felt he deserved it. She had slept fitfully, wondering where he was and what he was doing, especially since she had expected him to text her or call her after her abrupt departure.

He had done neither.

Which was so uncharacteristic she had spent a large part of the night and this morning dissecting that fact.

"Goddamnit Olivia." Elliot said through gritted teeth. "Don't make this so difficult." He said it in a low, gruff tone, and she could him struggling to control his anger.

He was losing.

"I need to talk to you." He said angrily, and then he reached out and wrapped his hand around her bicep, tugging lightly. "Now."

Olivia was nonplussed by his physical grip on her…torn between anger and disbelief. She pulled her arm away from him with more force than necessary, and it propelled her backwards…the wheels on her chair sliding easily against the floor as she slammed into the small bank of lockers off to her right. She had let out a cry as she collided, and now, the entire squad room was watching them as the normal din died down instantaneously.

"Jesus." Olivia said, looking back at Elliot incredulously.

"Liv. I'm…" Elliot said simultaneously. He couldn't believe he had grabbed her arm, or that she had reacted so violently. "I'm so sorry." He started walking towards her, but she was up and out of her chair in an instant, marching towards the interrogation rooms without looking back at him.

Elliot shot a nasty look around the room, as if to tell everyone to mind their own business, and most people looked away quickly and went back to their business. Everyone except Fin. Fin had his eyes narrowed and Elliot noticed that Munch look displeased as well.

"Not cool." Fin said, getting out of his chair.

Elliot had no disillusions. Anyone, inside or outside the squad, that fucked with Olivia, was instantly on their shit list and would be dealt with. He was no exception. In fact, he had been there for so long…he was surprised neither one of them had beaten the crap out of him for the number of times he'd treated her less than fairly.

However, judging by the look on his face, today might be the day.

"We're fine." Elliot put up his hands in a defensive gesture before he started to move in the direction Olivia had disappeared. "It's fine." He said again, looking away before either of them could object. He had made it a few feet without hearing any reply, but he knew he probably had ten minutes max to talk to her before they came to make sure everything was OK. Not that they thought he would ever hurt her physically…

Olivia looked up when Elliot strode through the open door in the small file room. She had opted for this location because there wasn't a speaker connected on the outside of the room. She had positioned herself across the room, and she had her arms crossed in front of her body…her jaw was set.

Elliot noticed her stance immediately and closed the door behind him. He leaned up against the door, giving her as much space as possible. "I didn't mean to grab you like that…" He said as an apology. "I just needed you to listen to me."

"I told you I didn't want to talk to you." She said. "And of course, as usual, you didn't listen. What were you going to do? Were you going to physically drag me into this room and try to force me to talk?"

"No!" Elliot said. "I just…" He scrubbed his hands down his face. He didn't understand how they'd gotten to this point. "God…how is this so fucked up?" He clasped his hands in front of him. "I just wanted a minute to tell you about last night." He dropped his hands by his sides. "Why did you just leave like that?"

"Dani needed you, so I figured I'd make it easy for you."

Elliot furrowed his brows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means… she calls, and you jump."

"That's bullshit." He fired back, taking a step towards her. He saw Olivia shift backwards slightly, and the objects sitting on top of the cabinets rattled as her backside connected with the metal. It made him take pause…because the Olivia he knew would have stood her ground, but she was already firing back.

"Did you answer the phone when she called?"

"We're working on a _case_." Elliot said emphatically, recognizing interrogation tactics when he heard them.

"So… the answer is yes." Olivia said, wondering when it had gone from _consulting_ on a case to _working _on a case. She didn't give him a chance to say anything else. "And did you go meet with her?" She asked.

Elliot seethed. "The suspect was in the _hospital_. She tried to commit _suicide_."

Olivia wasn't insensitive to the victim in this case, but she was blinded by her fury and something else she wouldn't put a name to.

Outright jealousy.

"I rest my case." Olivia said, trying to act vindicated, but feeling horrible that she was right. "I knew you were going to leave, so I just…" She shrugged her shoulders. "I needed to get home."

"I didn't _want_ to leave." Elliot offered up. "I wanted to walk you home."

"Hey, when your partner calls…" Olivia said as she shrugged her shoulders, really driving her point home.

"What are you talking about?" Elliot asked in extreme frustration. "_You're_ my partner."

Olivia shrugged. "I thought maybe you wanted to pick up where you left off."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. He felt like he kept repeating himself, but he didn't understand her issue with his helping on this case. Olivia was all about the victims. "It's just temporary. A couple of interviews…" Elliot shook his head. "Dani's just trying to get some corroboration to see if there's more to the story."

"Is that what she's trying to do?" Just the sound of her name grated on her last nerve.

"What? You think she has ulterior motives?" Elliot asked, even more confused.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how he could be so obtuse. Although, even she wasn't sure if Dani was trying to steal Elliot back as a partner or a lover. Or maybe both. "Are you really that blind?" If he was that stupid, she wasn't going to spell it out for him.

"You think she wants me back as a partner?" Elliot asked. The thought had never occurred to him. "That's insane. Dani can't handle SVU."

"I didn't say in this squad." Olivia clarified.

"I'm not going anywhere Liv. You're my partner, for better or worse." Elliot saw Olivia blanch a little at that comment, and he regretted adding that last part. It hadn't come out as he intended. "I mean…"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Olivia said, waving her hand, cutting him off. "You do what you're going to do." She started moving towards him, and he was happy to see that he stepped to the side, just like she hoped he would. He wasn't going to risk trying to detain her, no matter how much he wanted to.

"What?" Elliot said, wanting to reach out, but staying in place. "Liv. Don't go. Please."

Olivia reached for the doorknob but stopped short of opening the door. She looked to her left, her eyes connecting with his. "If you're going to leave, just do me a favor and tell me ahead of time. And if you're just going to…" She couldn't even bring herself to say the words. "Just keep it out of the squad room." She whipped open the door and stormed out, almost running into Fin in the hallway.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

Olivia pressed her lips together tightly but didn't really slow down. The only thing she could do was shake her head slightly as she passed by.

Elliot looked through the open door and saw Fin standing there, giving him a dirty look.

"Just leave her alone." Fin said, and Elliot knew he wouldn't be able to chase after Olivia and make another attempt to finish their conversation.

"We're good." Elliot said, trying to paste a smile on his face and put Fin at ease. Unfortunately, Fin wasn't buying it.

"That's what you keep saying." He shook his head and turned and walked in the other direction.

Elliot let out a long sigh and leaned up against the file cabinets. He replayed the conversation in his head, mulling over her last words she'd said as she had stormed out of the room. What the hell did she think was going on? Did she really think he was going to leave SVU or go partner with Dani in homicide? She had to know that wasn't going to happen.

Or did she?

He had never really talked about Dani with Olivia. She had asked about why she hadn't stayed, he'd been vague, Olivia hadn't seemed all that interested, and so he had dropped it.

_Keep it out of the squad room_.

A new thought struck him as her parting words came back to him.

Did Olivia think he wanted to _date_ Dani? Was she…? Could she be…?

_Christ_. Was Olivia _jealous_?

He shook his head. That couldn't be. Olivia wasn't the jealous type.

Maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.

Or was it?

Elliot let out a groan. He honestly didn't know where they stood right now. Things had been building…had been intense…and Gitano had split things wide open. He had expected it to break them and force them to talk to each other honestly for the first time. But instead, she had left him. It had left him confused…bewildered. It had made him question everything he thought he'd known.

So, when she had come back, he had tread lightly. He'd let her take the lead, but they'd been on pins and needles around each other. The tension hadn't dissipated. In fact, it was worse because it was wrapped in a layer of fear.

Elliot scrubbed his hands over his face.

Lunch seemed like a lifetime ago.

Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to help Dani. But damn it, he hadn't thought twice about it…hadn't thought it would be an issue. He thought Olivia would be supportive of him helping a potential victim.

If she was afraid he was going to leave her and go partner up with Dani in homicide, then he understood why she was upset and maybe a little bit jealous. He needed to talk to her…to make her understand that he wasn't going anywhere. The only place he wanted to be was by her side.

Elliot looked back out in the hallway, and saw Fin was gone. He walked out into the hallway, wondering what he'd find when he walked into the squad room. Would Olivia be sitting at her desk, studiously avoiding his gaze, or would she have found some excuse to leave the precinct for a while, avoiding him altogether?

He emerged from the hallway, and his heart dropped when he saw Olivia's empty chair. Even though he had expected it, it still increased his anxiety tenfold. He wondered if it would always be like that…if he'd always worry about her chair being empty.

Elliot was standing by his desk, wondering about his next step, when he heard the door to Cragen's office open. Olivia walked through the doorway, and her eyes connected with his immediately. The look she gave him sent a chill through him…and he shifted with unease as his gut clenched. Olivia broke eye contact with him, turned the other way and walked out of the squad room.


	6. Chapter 6

Olivia walked.

She left the precinct with no particular destination in mind. She just needed some space…some fresh air…some time to think. The entire encounter with Elliot had sent her into a tailspin, and she needed to escape so she could try to sort out her thoughts and emotions.

She'd been so naïve, thinking she had come back from her undercover assignment with all the answers. She had convinced herself that she and Elliot could salvage their partnership. That they could go back to the way things were in the early years. That they could be friends and ignore the thoughts and feelings they hadn't ever had the guts to voice.

At first, it seemed it could work. Elliot was gun shy…upset at the way she had left and afraid to do or say anything that was going to make her take off again. She had used that to set the tone, keeping him at arm's length as they found a way to work together again.

She'd even convinced herself that she didn't care about what had happened while she was gone, and had forced herself to stop asking herself why it had been so easy for him to fall into Dani's bed after just a few weeks while he'd made an art form of keeping his distance from hers.

And then fucking Dani Beck had walked back into the squad room and blown her carefully constructed reality to hell.

Olivia let out a sound of exasperation and she noticed the man walking next to her looked at her and gave her a funny look. She realized it must have been louder than she thought, and that she'd been walking along with the crowd without paying any particular attention to where she was going. Olivia stopped in place, but the streets were crowded with people as usual, and they jostled her and bumped into her as they rushed to get to where they were going. She stepped to the side, pressing herself up against the wall of the building, as she tried to get her bearings.

She realized she had taken almost the exact same route that she and Elliot had taken just the day before, and she tried not to dwell on whether that was just coincidence or some kind of subconscious decision. She glanced to her left and saw the Thai restaurant they had eaten at, and she glanced away quickly. Olivia bit down hard, cursing her inability to let this all go…to let go of the jealousy and her anger and her feelings for Elliot.

All of it.

Maybe it would have been easier if she had stayed in Oregon, or at the very least, transferred out of SVU when she'd been done with her FBI gig.

She let out a small laugh.

She knew she was powerless to leave him. Olivia ran a hand through her hair, wondering how she was going to navigate her way through this mess. She leaned her head back against the bricks and took a deep breath.

This jealous, angry person wasn't who she wanted to be, but she suddenly realized, she didn't have to be that way. Throughout her life…throughout her career…she had never backed down. She'd taken charge of each situation. She had met every challenge head on. She wouldn't be where she was today if she hadn't.

With Elliot though, it had been different. She'd let him set the tone for their relationship. At least, in the later years, when the thought of them as more than partners could have become a real possibility if they had given in to it.

Maybe it was time for that to change.

Maybe she shouldn't be a passive participant in this dance between she and Elliot.

Maybe she should decide, once and for all, what she wanted to happen.

If she didn't, then she had to be willing to let him waltz away with Dani. And maybe that was the right answer anyway, but she wanted to make a conscious decision…not have the decision made for her.

Olivia launched herself off the wall and headed for the street, raising her arm and flagging down a taxi. The taxi's whizzed by, and it was pissing her off. She fished her badge our of her pocket and held it up, getting the next yellow cab to stop for her. She slid across the backseat and slammed the door behind her, trying to decide her next move.

"Where to?" The taxi driver asked in a slightly irritated tone when she sat indecisively in the back of the cab.

Olivia hesitated for another half minute, and the cabbie asked her again. "OK." She said, taking a deep breath. "12th precinct."

EOEOEOEO

Elliot sat at his desk and fiddled around with the pen in his hand, but he wasn't focused on the work in front of him in any way. He wanted to knock on Cragen's door and find out what he and Olivia had talked about. He wanted to pick up his phone and call her. He wanted to text her and ask if they could talk.

He was so confused about what was going on. She was acting irrationally, and he didn't know what was going through her mind right now. He had only been trying to follow the rules that she had laid out when she returned, and now, somehow, he had broken them. It was so goddamned hard to play the game when he didn't know the rules.

And now, he was sitting here, in full panic mode that she was at her apartment, packing her things, and planning an exit strategy.

EOEOEOEO

The taxi pulled up in front of the 12th precinct and Olivia hesitated, with her hand on the door handle.

What in the hell was she doing?

When the taxi driver had asked where she wanted to go, she had planned on heading back to the precinct, but for some reason, the idea of talking to Dani had popped into her head. Maybe Dani didn't have her sights set on Elliot, either professionally or personally. Maybe she didn't have to talk to Elliot or lay anything out on the line. Maybe it was all in her mind.

But now, sitting here, the idea seemed preposterous. What did she think she was going to do? Walk in and ask Dani what her intentions were?

"Ma'am." The taxi driver said. "Are you getting out or what?"

Olivia didn't know where she was going to go now, and she knew she couldn't sit in this taxi until she figured it out. She fished in her pocket for some cash, sorted through it until she found a twenty-dollar bill, and handed it to the cabbie. He grunted, which she took as a thank you, and she got out of the cab.

At this point, she was so confused about how to move forward. She ran her hand through her hair again, and decided she was just going to call it a day. She was going to go home, take a long, hot bath, and try to figure out what she wanted to do. She was about to hail another cab, when she stopped cold in her tracks.

Dani Beck had just emerged from the precinct.

Fucking A.

Olivia was frozen. Just two minutes ago, she had thought she wanted to talk to her, and now, she was deathly afraid that Dani would spot her. She shrank back against the building, but luckily, Dani turned in the opposite direction. Olivia watched as she headed into the parking lot, and Olivia assumed she was getting a sedan. She moved quickly back to the street and flagged another cab. She was lucky enough to get one right away, and she told the cabbie to hold until she could see which direction Dani was headed. It took about five minutes, but she finally spotted Dani pulling out.

"Follow that car." She instructed the cabbie. She knew it was a risk, but she was hoping Dani wouldn't notice she had a tail. She didn't know how she'd explain herself if she were caught, but right now, the only thing she could think about was finding out exactly where Dani was headed.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot knocked on Cragen's door and heard him give permission to enter.

"What can I help you with?" Cragen asked as Elliot closed the door behind him.

"Liv." Elliot started. "Olivia." He stopped, unsure of how to phrase his question. He saw, in that instant, that he didn't need to even ask.

"She just asked for the rest of the day off." Cragen supplied.

Elliot hoped the relief he felt wasn't visible, and yet he knew that Cragen wasn't an idiot.

"Seems like there is still some tension between the two of you." He said.

Elliot shrugged slightly, not wanting to admit to anything that would make the Captain worry about their ability to be partners. "We're working it out."

"Are you?"

"Yes. Everything's going to be fine."

Cragen just nodded.

Elliot wasn't sure he was buying it, but he didn't know what else he could say to convince him, so he stayed silent.

Cragen seemed to consider his next question, but it only took a few seconds before he made a decision. "And the case you're working on with Detective Beck? Anything there?"

"I think she may be right about her suspect, but she's not talking." Elliot said, happy that the conversation had turned from he and Olivia to something else. He knew they had to tread carefully because Cragen wasn't going to put up with their bullshit for very long.

"What are the next steps then?"

"I don't know. Dani was going to talk to her Captain. Maybe another interview or …" He shrugged. "Maybe I'm done." He said. "I'm waiting to hear from her."

"OK." Cragen. "Well, I told Captain O'Reilly that we would continue to support them, as long as we thought there was an SVU angle, so if it turns out that it's not, then you need to excuse yourself. We have more than enough work of our own. Understood?"

Elliot nodded. "Understood."

"OK." Cragen said, looking back down at the paperwork on his desk.

Elliot knew he had been dismissed, so he turned and headed towards the door.

"Oh…and Elliot…" Cragen said just before Elliot had slipped through the door.

"Yeah?" Elliot asked, turning to face his Captain.

"I want things to work out between you and Olivia. One way or another…" Cragen paused for a second, and Elliot didn't know how he was supposed to respond. "Just make sure that the two of you come talk to me before things get out of hand. OK?"

Elliot was surprised by Cragen's comments, but he tried not to show it. "OK." He nodded. "OK." He felt his phone vibrate as he walked out, and grabbed it out of his pocket, hoping to see Olivia's name pop up. He was disappointed to see it was Kathy, and he opened it to read the message as he walked back to his desk.

"Hey."

Elliot looked up and froze in place when he saw Dani sitting in his chair. "Hey."

"I was wondering where you'd wandered off to, but Fin here told me you were in the big guys office." Dani waved an arm in Fin's direction.

Elliot looked over at Fin and saw him roll his eyes and shake his head before he went back to whatever he'd been doing before.

"Yeah, I just had to talk to Cragen about…" He wiped his fingers across his brow. "It's not important. What's up?"

Dani stood up as he got closer. "Nataliya's not talking, and we don't now if she ever will." Dani started. "We can't wait any longer. The longer we wait…" She shook her head. "Whoever's in charge…we need to take him down. We need to try something else."

Elliot nodded.

"We need to figure out another way to prove he's trafficking women."

"OK." Elliot nodded. "You're sure that's what's happening? Are you turning this case over to SVU?"

"Not exactly." Dani said. "We're going to keep working it together." She jerked her head in the direction of Cragen's office. "In fact, O'Reilly should be calling Cragen any minute."

"I was just talking to him and he didn't say anything."

Dani shrugged, like she couldn't be bothered about it.

"So, what's the plan."

Dani got a playful grin on her face, and Elliot narrowed his eyes, knowing already that he wasn't going to like this plan.

"What have you cooked up?" He asked.

Dani leaned in a little more closely. "We're going undercover."

"What?" Elliot shook his head. "No."

"It's the only way. We're going to pose as a married couple that wants to...you know…hire someone to be a playmate…"

"No." Elliot said again, taking a step backwards. He didn't want to get messed up in this, and he didn't want to go undercover with Dani. If Olivia had freaked out about his consulting on a case, he couldn't imagine what her reaction to this would be.

"You promised you would help with this case." Dani said.

"I said I would consult…"

"Well, now we have to take it to the next level." Dani said.

"Don't you have someone in the 12th that can work the undercover op?" Elliot asked.

"It's a joint case now. You need to step up." She took a few steps closer to Elliot, but he put out a hand to stop her.

"Dani…" Elliot said, shaking his head.

Cragen's door opened and they both turned to look at him. "Elliot. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Elliot looked back at Dani and saw a smile creep across her face.

"Looks like it's a done deal." She said sweetly.

Elliot let out a sigh and headed towards Cragen's office.

EOEOEOEO

Olivia sat in the cab outside the 1-6, wondering what she was supposed to do now. Somehow, she had known where Dani was headed, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. In fact, as they followed her sedan, she had cursed every turn she'd made, willing her to be heading somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Now, she'd been sitting here for the past ten minutes, watching the doors and wondering if the two of them would emerge together. She was almost certain they would, and then she didn't know what the hell she was going to do. It would kill her to see him leave with her. She knew her mind would conjure up all kinds of awful scenarios.

"We can go now." She told the cabdriver, leaning back in the seat. She lay her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes, feeling defeated.

"Where do you want to go?" The cabbie asked.

"Nowhere in particular." Olivia said tiredly. When he questioned her, she rattled off her home address. He pulled away from the curb and she lifted her head. "You know what? Scratch that." She said. "just take me down into the East Village." She was going to find a bar, far away from the precinct, and have a few drinks, until she could stop thinking about Elliot and Dani.

If that was even possible.


	7. Chapter 7

The cab dumped Olivia on the corner of Houston and 4th, and she made her way into the nearest restaurant and bar. She slid onto a stool and ordered a Scotch on the rocks. The bartender slid the glass in front of her, and she picked it up, staring at the amber liquid as the ice cubes clinked against the glass. The sound of people talking and laughing around her was annoying her…so many happy people. Friends meeting friends…office mates at lunch…lovers meeting and staring adoringly across the table at each other.

She hated it all. Because she was sitting here alone.

Olivia set the glass down abruptly, and the amber liquid sloshed against the sides.

This wasn't where she wanted to be. Not today…not tomorrow…

She closed her eyes and thought about how her life and Elliot's intertwined. She thought about how codependent they were, and how fear had kept either of them from voicing how they felt. She thought about how it felt when she heard about Elliot and Dani, and how the rejection had been a punch in the gut. She thought about the sleepless nights spent wondering how she'd gotten it all wrong and convincing herself it was better to live like this than risk telling him how she felt and having him reject her.

But was it?

Something had to give, or she was going to lose her mind.

She couldn't let him walk away, with Dani or anyone else, without talking to him. It was time to take charge of her own life. Even if the answer wasn't what she wanted to hear, it would be better than living in limbo.

Olivia groaned, trying to summon up the courage to really believe it.

She fished her phone out of her pocket before she could think twice about it and opened up her messaging. She pulled up Elliot's number and started to draft a text message, making several changes, before she closed the app without sending it.

She glanced at the Scotch again as her bravado wavered slightly. Maybe she could sit here and have a few drinks…soften the edges a bit.

Olivia let out a sigh. She opened her messaging app again and saw the draft sitting there. She hit SEND.

She pushed the full glass of Scotch back towards the bartender and slapped a $10 bill on the bar. "Thanks." She said as she slid off the stool and headed out.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot had gotten rid of Dani by telling her that he would meet her at the 12th the next day. He didn't think he was going to be able to wiggle out of this undercover op, but he wasn't just going to disappear without talking to Olivia first. It wasn't that he was going off somewhere far away as she had done, or that it would be a big mystery and she wouldn't know where he was, but there was something about going forward with this op while things seemed to be doing backwards with Olivia.

He thought about her invitation to lunch. The way she had smiled at him from across the table. How absolutely beautiful she looked…and how much he had wanted to tell her just how much he had missed her.

He had held his tongue, because he couldn't say those things to her.

He'd never been able to tell her everything that was on his mind…or in his heart. She had always kept him at arms-length…letting him get close but never too close…and with all that had happened, he was afraid to push the status quo. If she left him again, it would kill him.

Which is why this whole encounter with Dani was so unsettling. Olivia was clearly upset, and he had to get them back on even footing.

He wondered where she was, and what she was doing right now. He snatched his phone off his desk and pulled up her number. He knew she had asked for the day off because she needed some time and space, and it probably wasn't wise to intrude, but he couldn't seem to let it go. He had wanted to talk to her this morning…had practically forced her to talk to him. He couldn't possibly force her into another conversation.

He cursed as he tossed his phone back onto his desk. It hit the surface a little harder than he had planned, and he grabbed it again, hoping he hadn't broken it. As he held it in his hand, the phone vibrated, indicating an incoming text message. He sighed, assuming it was Kathy reminding him of some "co-parenting" responsibility he was fucking up, but he was surprised to see it was a message from Olivia.

He opened it right away. "Can we talk?"

Elliot was a little surprised and largely exasperated, since it had only been a few hours since he'd tried to get her to talk to him. "Now she wants to talk?" he muttered under his breath, before remembering that he'd just been considering an interrupting her day off for that very reason. Some days, this woman really messed with his head.

He hit REPLY, and considered his reply, knowing he was overthinking it. He finally just answered in the simplistic way possible, wanting to let her set the time and place…as well as the tone. "Sure."

Olivia didn't reply for a few minutes, and he wondered if she'd texted him on accident. He sat there, staring at his phone, his leg jumping up and down, trying to decide if she should text her again. Another few minutes had passed before she finally replied.

"Do you mind meeting at my apartment?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow and looked around the room, feeling self-conscious, almost as if he had gotten some kind of pornographic image. The one thing he and Olivia did NOT do was hang out at each other's apartments on a regular basis. Certainly not for any extended period of time. That had his mind going in all sorts of different directions, as he pondered the meaning behind her request.

She obviously wanted to talk in private and that sent a trill of fear up his spine. That wouldn't necessarily be good news…

He felt his phone vibrate again and saw that Olivia had sent another message. "Or do you want to meet somewhere else?" He realized he hadn't responded, and that had probably made her worry that he was going to decline.

"Your place is fine." Elliot responded. "When?"

"30 mins?"

Elliot looked over at Cragen's office and saw the door was closed. He wondered if the Captain would miss him if he left, or if he could come up with some excuse with the guys. "Fuck it." He said, pushing his chair back and pocketing his phone. He didn't look at Fin or Munch as he walked out of the squad room, instead choosing to focus on Olivia. He thought that just maybe…depending on how things went…he should get up the courage to tell her just how much he had missed her.

EOEOEOEO

Olivia rushed around her apartment, tidying up since she'd let the place go a little in the past week. She knew it didn't matter…that she was just trying to keep herself busy and her nerves at bay…so she did it anyway. She stepped into the bathroom and brushed a hand through her hair. Her make-up had worn off and she looked a bit like a mess after her journey around the city, but there was no hope for it now. Besides, Elliot had seen her look a lot worse than this, and a quick curl and some mascara wasn't going to make the man immediately fall all over her.

She closed her eyes, wondering why the hell her mind had gone there. She wasn't about to declare her undying love for him…_was she_?

There was a knock at her door, and she swallowed hard as her eyes flew open. She suddenly felt unprepared for this talk. She didn't know what she was going to say, or why she had even dragged him over here. Lord only knows what his expectations were.

She should have suggested they meet somewhere in public…where things couldn't get heated or intimate.

_God_…why did the word _intimate _pop into her head?

She was a mess. Her panic was full blown now…and she almost didn't recognize herself as she looked in the mirror. She needed to pull herself together, and quickly.

There was another loud knock on the door, and Olivia took a deep breath. She headed out of the bathroom and her bedroom, closing that door behind her.

Elliot had already knocked twice, and he wondered if Olivia was even home. There was a moment of panic that maybe something was wrong, but it passed quickly. He'd talked to her via text less than half an hour ago, and he was a bit early. Maybe she'd been out.

"Liv…you in there?" He yelled, raising his fist to knock again, when the door swung open.

"Hey." Olivia said a little breathlessly, and he saw a blush in her cheeks, almost as if she'd been running around or was embarrassed. "Sorry, I was…" Her voice trailed off as she waved her arm towards her apartment as some kind of explanation.

"It's s'ok." Elliot said. "I just thought maybe you weren't home." He shifted awkwardly on his feet, recognizing this was an odd situation for them. It felt as if all the rules that had guided them were about to be thrown to the wind, and he wasn't sure how to deal with that.

"No. I was here. I am here." She shook her head. Why was she rambling? "Come in." Olivia took a step back. "I'm sorry about the mess but you know I haven't been home that much this week." She offered by way of apology.

Elliot couldn't see any clutter…not even a dirty dish…but he just nodded as he walked in. Olivia closed the door behind him and then walked around him as he stood in the foyer.

"So…" Olivia said.

"So." Elliot repeated.

Olivia walked backwards into the living room, and Elliot assumed he was to follow her. He eyed the couch and then decided to sit in the chair situated on the other side of the couch. As he sat down, he noticed Olivia was still standing near the other end of the couch, and she looked a little lost. He assumed she was as nervous as he was, since private one on ones had never been their forte. "About this morning…" He started. "I shouldn't have grabbed you like that." He knew he had already apologized once, but he felt like he owed her another. He still felt badly about it.

"You're lucky you're still walking upright." Olivia said, somewhat jokingly. There was clearly tension in the air, and she wanted to try to put him at ease.

"Always the badass." Elliot said, teasing her back with her nickname.

"Not always." She said.

Elliot raised an eyebrow in question. "I don't think I've ever seen you back down from any challenge."

"That's not true." Olivia said, finally sitting down on the couch. She tucked her legs to the side and beneath her, curling herself on the end of the couch furthest from Elliot.

Elliot waited her out, to see if she was going to continue, because he wasn't sure where this was going.

"There have been plenty of times in my life when I've decided to live with the choices that other people have made, no matter how it affected me."

"That's not backing away from a challenge." Elliot said. "That's choosing your battles." He leaned forward slightly. "There's a difference."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Maybe." She pushed herself up off the couch, feeling antsy sitting in one place. "I'm going to get something to drink." She said. "You want something?"

Elliot watched her go, noticing her delay tactic for what it was. "I'll have whatever you're having." He said. He wasn't sure if she was going for water…beer…or hard alcohol. Whatever she came back into the room with was definitely going to be an indicator of the difficulty level of this conversation.

He heard the refrigerator door open and close, and the sound of glass against the countertop. A minute later, Olivia walked back into the room, carrying two beers. He noticed that she must have taken a swig in the kitchen, because the one in her right hand was almost halfway gone.

He accepted the beer from her, but noticed she sat down more in the middle of the couch, sitting on the edge, as if she needed to be prepared to move on a moment's notice. She was picking at the label on her beer bottle and avoiding eye contact with him…all of it highlighting just how nervous she was. A small needle of fear settled in the pit of his stomach, and he couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Liv…" He started, and she lifted her head and looked right at him. "I know things haven't been the best since you've come back, but we're going to get there. I think we're both just a little…" He paused. "I don't think we've ever really cleared the air about everything and maybe we need to do that so we can move forward." That was more than he had intended to say, but it was sincere. He needed her to know that he wanted her there by his side. He watched as her eyes moved back and forth between his, and she bit down on her bottom lip. It was a sure sign that she was debating what to say in response, and he hoped that she was going to be honest with him.

"Move forward." She finally said, saying the words as though they were something foreign…something she hadn't thought about.

"Yeah."

"You think we need to clear the air?"

Elliot felt like he was walking into some kind of trap, but he was helpless to see what it was. "I just think there are a lot of things we don't talk about." Olivia seemed surprised by his response, and he had to agree…he was surprised himself. But she said she wanted to talk, and these things needed to be said.

Olivia nodded as Elliot spoke. She hadn't been certain if she'd actually find the courage to bring up the things that had been bothering her, but Elliot seemed all in. It made her feel brave. "I agree." She said, taking a long drink of her beer. She took in a deep breath, knowing it was now or never. "So…"

Elliot saw she was building up to something big, and he almost physically braced himself for her question.

"If we're going to clear the air…why don't you tell me about your relationship between you and Dani Beck."


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I know it's been a long time as I had noted, but even I didn't expect it to be this long. I hope it was worth the wait. More to come.

EOEOEOEO

"If we're going to clear the air…why don't you tell me about your relationship between you and Dani Beck."

"My relationship with Dani Beck?" Elliot repeated. He didn't know what he had expected to hear, but it wasn't that. "She was my partner. My _temporary_ partner." He narrowed his eyes.

Olivia didn't say a word. She just stared at him, obviously expecting him to continue, and he felt a low level of anger rolling off her. He wasn't sure where her hatred of Dani was coming from. "We didn't know how long you were going to be gone, or if you were even coming back. Did you expect that Cragen wouldn't backfill your position?"

Olivia debated how hard she wanted to push him. She couldn't tell if he was really that obtuse, or if he was trying to be difficult. Of course, if she were in his shoes, she'd probably hold out as long as she could too. "I didn't really think about it, but I guess it makes sense. But from what I heard, the two of you hit it off."

Elliot relaxed slightly, glad that she understood that he wasn't the one that had asked for a new partner. It had been because of _her_ decision to leave. He shrugged. "I don't know about _hitting it off_…" He said, using air quotes to emphasize those last words. "It was rough, especially in the beginning…" He shook his head, remembering those first few cases. "Dani wasn't cut out for SVU. She couldn't handle the live victims…" He paused.

_Boohoo._ Olivia thought to herself. She wasn't going to shed any tears for Dani Beck.

Elliot continued. "We figured out how to work together, but when you've worked with the same person for so long…" He sighed. "It was hard. Dani and I weren't working together long enough to figure it all out. Not like you and me."

Olivia was certain that last comment was meant to be some kind of reassurance, but it was exactly her point. Partnering with Dani had been completely different than partnering with her, in all the ways that she hated. "Yeah, I get that it wasn't like you and me." Olivia said with a hint of a sarcasm. "But I think we can disagree on the fact that the two of you weren't getting along well."

Elliot shook his head slightly, hating to sound like an idiot, but he didn't know what she was getting at. "Where are you getting that info from? We fought like cats and dogs over most of the cases we worked on." He hadn't liked how she'd handled witnesses or victims, and he had been so frustrated with Dani most of the time. But he also knew that he hadn't really cut her any slack. He'd been smarting from Olivia's departure and missing her like crazy. He hadn't wanted a new partner.

"You don't honestly think that I came back and I'm not going to hear anything about you and her?" Olivia threw it out there, feeling frustrated that he was acting as if there was nothing more to the story.

The kiss between he and Dani came to Elliot's mind, but there was no way that anyone knew about that. They had been alone, and it had been so brief, he barely even remembered it. She couldn't be talking about that. "What?" he challenged. "What did you hear?"

Olivia raised a brow. Now she had his attention. "You're really going to sit there and act dumb, and only going to confirm or deny what I tell you I heard?" She let out a small, forced laugh. "Why don't you just stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about and tell me."

Elliot stood up. "I don't appreciate being grilled like some goddamned suspect." The volume of his voice ratcheted up slightly. "And I don't know what you think I've done or why you're so goddamned fixated on Dani."

Olivia's anger spiked. He was completely avoiding the topic and making it sound like she was out of her mind for even talking about it. He didn't want to tell her, and he damn well knew why she was asking, and she was so pissed off right now she was seeing red. She pushed herself off the couch. "I'm fixated on her because I want to know how you fell into her bed so easily after just a few weeks when you made an art form of avoiding mine!" Olivia clapped her hand over her mouth, not quite believing she had voiced what had been running through her mind on a constant loop from the moment she'd been back and had seen them together.

Elliot was dumbfounded. He was actually unable to speak.

Olivia was cursing herself. Her anger and jealousy had won out and she was as shocked as Elliot was at what she had just blurted out. She quickly started to backpedal as her anger was replaced with embarrassment. "I mean…that's not what I meant." She stumbled over her words. "I meant…" Her voice trailed off and she tried taking a step backwards to put some space between her and Elliot, but the back of her legs connected with the couch. She kept her eyes trained on Elliot, even though she desperately wanted to escape his gaze. "You're not supposed to sleep with your partner." She rasped out, her voice barely more than a hoarse whisper.

Elliot didn't know if she was talking to him or talking to herself. He thought maybe it was a little bit of both, but it didn't matter. He was focused on the shocked expression on her face and the glassy sheen of her eyes. She was obviously horrified by what she'd said, but he could see the emotion behind it. All the pieces clicked into place.

He was such an idiot.

It had never occurred to him that Olivia would be jealous because Dani had meant nothing to him. "Liv…" He took a step towards her, but she shrank back, and he stopped. "I didn't sleep with Dani. I don't know who told you that but I never…" He shook his head. "I didn't…"

Olivia put her hands up in a defensive gesture. "It's none of my business. I shouldn't have said anything." Olivia covered her face with her hands. _What the hell was she doing?_ _Why had she blurted that out? _The shocked expression on Elliot's face said everything and she just needed to get away from him. She'd done irreparable damage now and she cursed her own jealousy and her inability to keep her emotions in check. She finally tore her eyes away from his and slid out from between the couch and coffee table. "I think you should leave." She said, heading for the door. She needed this to end so she could save herself before she said anything else she was going to regret.

"What?" Elliot said, louder than he expected, surprised by the change in direction. He moved around the coffee table and rushed up behind her, wanting to reach out to stop her, but not wanting to make the same mistake he'd made in the squad room. "No. I'm not leaving." He said. He watched as she reached for the door handle, but he stood his ground. "We need to finish this conversation." He stood at the edge of the foyer, waiting for her to turn and look at him. Instead, she stood with her back to him, her hand grasping the knob. They were both silent for what seemed like an eternity, and he watched as she dropped her head until it connected softly with the door.

"Please…" Olivia pleaded. She couldn't face him right now. Her mind was jumbled with images of she and Elliot…with thoughts of him while she'd been away…with promises made to stuff her emotions down deep and be the best partner she could be.

One woman…one lingering touch…and she'd come undone.

She couldn't get the image out of her mind. Elliot laughing…leaning over…running his hand along Dani's shoulder…

It was everything she wanted and everything she couldn't have.

"I can't do this." Olivia whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Can't do what?" Elliot asked. Olivia had confessed something he hadn't dare think about. They'd been close…too close…and it had cost him. She had left, and he was scared to death to make that same mistake again.

But now…

She had opened that door…

He walked up behind her, and as he drew close, her heard her draw in a sharp breath, as if she were bracing herself for whatever was to come. Elliot was inches from her…with the merest bit of space between them. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He wondered if hers was doing the same. The room was silent, and Olivia hasn't moved. He could smell the heady mixture of her shampoo and something uniquely Olivia…and he realized he hadn't allowed himself to be this close to her in a long time.

"Elliot." His name was a plea on her lips. He was too close, and she almost didn't dare breathe. Her heart was in her throat, and she wanted to tell him to leave once more…but she couldn't make herself say the words. She closed her eyes, swallowing hard, and moments later, she felt his fingers brush lightly against her neck, drawing her hair to the side. Goosebumps broke out along her skin and her body shivered as his fingers ghosted against her bare skin.

"I didn't sleep with Dani." He whispered…his voice almost impossibly soft. "I never wanted to sleep with Dani. Or anyone else. There's only one woman on my mind. Day and night, and it's been that way for a long time." He trailed his finger back across her skin, leaning in slightly. She was listening…she wasn't moving away…and he dared to take things a bit farther. "I missed you so much." His lips were nearly brushing her ear. "More than you can ever know."

"No." Olivia whispered. But her body was betraying her…willing his fingers to dance across her skin again…tempted to lean back into him, wanting to feel his hard body against hers.

Elliot could feel the conflict in Olivia, and he knew he needed to tread carefully…to let her make her own decision.

But it didn't mean he couldn't push a little.

"You don't believe me?" he asked, feeling the impulse to place a kiss on the softest part of her neck…and willing himself not to do it. He could hear Olivia breathing…short, shallow breaths…and he knew his proximity was affecting her. It was affecting him too. He wanted her to say something…to have some part in this because they were so close to the truth. He had bared as much as he could without getting some kind of acknowledgment from her. "Liv." He said softly. "Tell me why you were so upset when you thought I'd slept with Dani." He whispered.

Olivia knew what he was asking her but based on her reaction to him in this moment, she didn't think she needed to tell him anything. She had already revealed her feelings in the most embarrassing way, and even though it hadn't been explicit, he knew what she'd meant. It was the only explanation for the way he was standing behind her now…for the way he was touching her…for his own revelation. It had left her breathless, and she knew she should be denying this…that she should pull away and tell him to leave…but the only thing she could focus on was his warm breath against her skin.

Elliot saw her shoulders drop slightly as she exhaled slowly, and he knew she wasn't going to push him away. "Tell me to stop." He said, letting his lips brush the shell of her ear. He let his lips linger there as he felt her head fall back slightly. He moved slightly closely, making sure his body didn't touch hers, but he braced one hand against the door. He dropped his mouth to the spot he'd been eyeing, and he opened his mouth slightly, pressing a gentle, open-mouthed kiss against her skin.

Olivia wanted to moan as his lips connected with her skin. This was the stuff of dreams, and she wondered how they'd gotten from arguing about Dani to here. She knew she should tell him to stop…that there was no going back from here. But she didn't want to stop. She wanted more, and she was done denying it. "Stop." She said.

Elliot pulled his mouth from her skin, and she knew she was sending him mixed messages. She turned around in the small space he had provided, and her eyes connected with his. She saw the flush of his skin and the question in his eyes, but she didn't waste any more time on words or rationalization or denial. She slid her right hand up the side of his neck…her thumb grazing his cheek…and her eyes dropped to his mouth.

Elliot saw her intention and as she drew him towards her, he slid one hand to her waist. He met her halfway, and he could never say who kissed who first, but the moment their lips met, it was everything he had ever imagined. She kissed him gently…tentatively…but he opened her mouth with his and kissed her more deeply. He moved her back against the door and slid his hand through her hair, cradling her head in the palm of his hand. When he pulled his mouth from hers, he could see the flush in her face and she just stared at him, as if she couldn't believe that the kiss had even happened.

"One woman, Olivia…" he said softly, cradling her cheek with his hand. "It's always been you."


	9. Chapter 9

Elliot didn't want to stop kissing Olivia, but he knew they were in dangerous territory. Up to this point, his hands hadn't wandered, but his thoughts had, and he was moments from scooping her up in his arms and carrying her into the bedroom.

_He wondered if that was what she was waiting for him to do._

This thing between them was so complicated…he wanted to go with what felt natural, but he had no idea where her head was at with this…with them. Olivia must have sensed his hesitancy because she broke the kiss, letting her hand slide down from his neck to his chest. "Liv." Elliot said, his voice heavy with desire and emotion. "Tell me what you're thinking right now."

Olivia was surprised at his abruptness, but it let her know that he was struggling as much as she was with trying to wrap his head around what was happening. "I don't know…" She whispered…her lips brushing his as she spoke. It didn't escape her that he hadn't moved away from her…hadn't created any space between them. "I'm not really thinking about anything." She whispered, knowing her body was crowding out any coherent thought right now. She wanted Elliot to take charge…to make the decision for them. She knew that it was the cowardly way out, leaving her with no responsibility for anything that happened.

"You've got to say something." Elliot said, practically begging her to kiss him again and finding it exceedingly difficult to keep himself from pressing his body against hers. He dug his fingers into her side slightly to keep his hand from wandering, while the other remained braced against the door. There was no escape for her…she had to make a choice. "Tell me yes…or tell me no…"

He hoped to God she didn't say no.

Olivia could feel the intensity and desire emanating from him, along with the tremendous amount of control he was exhibiting. The thought of unleashing that sent a chill up her spine, and she felt it in her lower abdomen.

_God_, she wanted him.

But there was still a small voice trying to fight through the haze of desire, a voice that told her to be cautious…that they couldn't be rash…that there was a lot at stake.

She wasn't even sure what he was asking her to agree to. To sex…to the end of their partnership…to a relationship? Then, a new thought occurred to her, and she drew her head back slightly, bumping the door. "Did you…" She swallowed hard, unsure if she wanted the answer to her question. The memory of Kathy Stabler meeting her in the park had popped into her mind, and even though Elliot had told her he had signed his divorce papers, she didn't really know where things stood. "Are you…did you and Kathy…" She couldn't bear to be in the middle of him and his family, if he wasn't sure.

"It's done Liv." Elliot felt horrible that she'd think he'd even be here like this if he wasn't a free man, but he knew he'd never really made it easy for her to know what was going on with him and his marriage. "Do you think I would have kissed you…"

"No." She said quickly, cutting him off. "I don't know." She closed her eyes briefly. "You're not supposed to sleep with your partner." She whispered.

It had been her mantra for so long…

"We don't have to…" They worked around sex and sex crimes all day long, but somehow, talking about it with her made him feel awkward and tongue-tied. "We can take this slow." Elliot's body was telling him to stop talking, but he could tell she was scared, even though she'd never admit it. "I know this is hard for you." He moved his mouth to her temple. "Change is hard." He pressed a small kiss there, and he felt her relax slightly. He knew then that she was waiting for him to make a decision for them, and he realized he owed her that. He had kept her in limbo for years. "I want this. I want you." He whispered against her skin, pressing a small kiss there. "All of it. I want to wake up next to you in the morning." _Kiss_. "I want to kiss you goodnight right before we go to sleep." _Kiss_. "And I want all the minutes in between."

Olivia could feel tears brimming on her lower lashes. This wasn't just lust…

She could feel his declaration of love in his words and in the reverent tone of his voice, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Tears were streaming down her face, and then Elliot was framing her face with his hands and kissing away her tears.

It shocked Elliot to see Olivia cry, since she never liked to let anyone see her being vulnerable. He took that as a good sign, and he smiled as he pulled back to look her in the eyes. Tears were still streaming down her face and he swiped at them with his thumbs. "Does that mean you feel the same way?"

Olivia could only nod as Elliot gingerly caressed her cheeks. Part of her could scarcely believe this was her anger-prone, testosterone-laden partner standing here in front of her, speaking so eloquently and touching her so gently.

"Is that a yes?" Elliot asked hopefully, knowing that they both understood that his question had taken on so much more meaning than before.

"Yes." Olivia whispered. She placed her hands over his and gave him a small smile, feeling unexpectantly shy in that moment.

"Do you know what you're agreeing to?" Elliot asked with a laugh. He was seeing a completely different side of Olivia right now, and he loved that she felt safe showing that to him in this moment. They were forging a new path now, and neither one of them knew what the rules were.

"Not really." Olivia said. She glanced up at him through her lashes, the same small smile on her face. "But if it involves more kissing…"

The words were barely out of her mouth before Elliot pressed his mouth against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, knowing this was the beginning of something wonderfully exciting and unequivocally terrifying. But the way Elliot was kissing her right now made her fears melt away and she felt hopeful for the first time in a very long time.

EOEOEOEOEO

Olivia had slept fitfully. Only this time, it wasn't that her mind was occupied by a troublesome case or frustration over something Elliot had done or said. No…this time, her mind was racing a mile a minute, anxious to see what the next day would bring. And that was paired with an equal amount of sexual frustration.

Elliot hadn't let things go very far, and despite her gentle prodding and frequent assurances that she was ready for more, he'd not moved past kissing her. It was completely unexpected, as she had imagined that once they'd gotten their hands and mouths on each other, it would be a wild and frenzied dance into bed. But on the other hand, maybe she should have expected it. He was a good Catholic boy, he'd been married for all of his adult life, and maybe the thought of having sex with someone other than his wife was just a little scary for him.

Instead, they had ended up on the couch and had talked for hours, each revealing small parts of themselves they'd kept from each other all these years. Watching him walk out the door had been one of the hardest things she'd done in a while, and there was a part of her that had thought she could reduce herself to begging if it would mean he would stay. But she hadn't wanted to make it more difficult for him, because she knew he thought he was doing the right thing.

Elliot had promised to swing by and pick her up so they could drive to the precinct together, and she was anxiously awaiting his arrival. She checked her hair and makeup in the mirror for about the tenth time, and once again, reminded herself that he had already seen her at her absolute best and her absolute worst. She didn't really need to worry about it. And yet, she wanted to look good. She was sure that was because there was some small part of her that was worried that he'd change his mind…but she was trying to tamp down that small bit of uncertainty.

The intercom buzzed, and Olivia felt a small flurry in the pit of her stomach. She hit the button to release the door and made her way into the kitchen. She rinsed off her dishes and set them in the sink, and then wiped her hands just as she heard a knock at the door. As she walked over, she wondered if he would kiss her, or if she should kiss him, but before she could overthink it too much, she was swinging the door open. She saw the cocky grin on Elliot's face, and she smiled.

"This was the longest night of my life." Elliot said. He moved towards her and she started to back away to let him in, but he grasped her lightly by her upper arms and pulled her towards him. There was no hesitation in him at all as he grasped her lips with his. Olivia slid her hands to his waist and pulled his body against hers and she heard a low sound come from his throat as he slid one hand to the side of her head and deepened the kiss. The kisses became heated, and Olivia could feel it all the way down to her toes. She finally slid one hand to his chest and pushed lightly, desperately in need of some oxygen.

"If that's the way you're going to greet me each morning, we're never going to make it to work." Olivia whispered, her lips brushing his lightly as she spoke.

"If you keep pressing your body against mine like that, we're never going to make it to work either." Elliot said, laughing as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He slid his hands down to her hips and pushed her off him slightly. The thought of her body had kept him awake most of the night, and this close proximity definitely wasn't helping.

"You should have stayed last night." She teased, raising an eyebrow at him as she noticed the flush of his skin.

"If I would have stayed, I know we wouldn't have made it to work today." He walked around her, grabbing her hand and turning her around to face him again. He dropped her hand then and adopted a more serious tone. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked.

Olivia knew what he was asking. They had talked about how to move forward the night before and had agreed that they didn't need to disclose anything…yet. She supposed it was a safety net for both of them, couched in the rationalization that too many changes would be hard to manage. "Yeah. It's going to be okay." She said it with certainty, but she honestly wasn't sure if she could act like nothing had changed under the scrutiny of people who were trained to notice the small details.

"You've got a great poker face Liv." Elliot said, giving her a reassuring smile. He just wished he could say the same for himself. "Let's go."

The car ride was unusually quiet, but Olivia tried not to read to much into it. She knew her thoughts were pre-occupied of getting through the day…and what might happen after work. What she hoped would happen after work. Elliot parked the car and turned it off, and she reached out, putting her hand on his arm before he could get out of the car. "El…"

Elliot looked back at her, raising his eyebrows in question. "Yeah?" He settled back into his seat and waited for her to tell him what was on her mind. "I know I told you last night that I was really scared…" Olivia let her voice trail off, wanting to tell him just how much the last 24 hours had changed her life…her entire outlook. But it was too much, and she didn't have the words.

"Just say it Liv. No more secrets." Her hesitancy was making him nervous, and he wondered if he'd always worry that she was going to close him down or push him away.

Olivia broke into a genuine smile. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really happy right now."

"Right now?" Elliot teased. "Are you qualifying that so that if I piss you off later…"

Olivia slapped him playfully. "Knock it off. I'm just saying…"

Elliot took her hand, looking around to make sure no one could see them. He squeezed it lightly. "I know. And I'm glad you told me that. I'm happy too." He released her hand. "Ready to go in?"

"I don't know." Olivia said, and she saw the look of confusion on Elliot's face. "Are you going to be like this?" She waved her hand up and down in front of him. "All sweet and communicative? Or are you going to revert to the Elliot Stabler I've known for the past 8 years?'

"You're funny Benson." Elliot said. He rolled his eyes as he laughed and got out of the sedan. Olivia came around the car and they fell into their normal stride as they headed into the precinct. The felt themselves assume their normal Benson and Stabler personas in the elevator, and they looked at each other and grinned, knowing exactly that they were each thinking the same thing. The strode into the squad room, and Olivia actually felt ready to tackle whatever the day threw at her. But that feeling ended abruptly when she saw Cragen's door open up and Dani Beck and someone she didn't know come walking in.

She stopped abruptly and looked over at Elliot. She noticed he had stopped as well, and he looked over at her, giving her a look that told her that he knew exactly why Dani was there.

Suddenly, she felt like she was right back where she started 24 hours ago. She could see there was something Elliot wanted to tell her, and she guessed it was something he should have told her the day before. But she didn't want to hear it. Her perfect morning was ruined, and her sense of hope dashed as she saw the smiling blonde make her way over to where they were standing, with Cragen and the other man in tow.

She glanced over at Elliot. "Guess I'm not needed." She said as she started towards her desk.

"Liv." Elliot said wanting to catch her. But Dani and the others were there now, and the moment was lost. He watched as Olivia hesitated at her desk for a moment, but she didn't sit down. She walked out of the doors on the opposite side of the squad room, and she didn't look back. He knew he had fucked up.

"Elliot." Cragen said sternly.

"Huh?" Elliot turned his attention back to Cragen.

"Are you with us?" Cragen asked.

"What? Um…yeah." Elliot said, trying to focus on the conversation. But he knew he was lying because his thoughts were with Olivia and he wondered just where in the hell she was going.


	10. Chapter 10

Elliot listened impatiently as the plans for the undercover op was laid out in detail. He kept looking at the door, wondering if Oliva had left the precinct or was back at her desk. Cragen kept shooting him dirty looks as he fidgeted in his chair, and he knew he wasn't giving Captain Shay his complete attention, but it was simply impossible. He needed to talk to Olivia because she was clearly angry with him, even though he thought he'd made it fairly clear that he had absolutely no interest in Dani. Another ten minutes had passed before he could tell that Shay was finally wrapping up, and five minutes more before they'd agreed on a meeting time and place. The minute Shay finished talking, he bolted out of his chair and headed for the door.

"Elliot."

He heard Dani call his name, but he was already walking into the squad room before she caught up with him. He was scanning the room for her when Dani grabbed his arm, and he turned towards her, annoyed that he didn't see Olivia and that Dani was tagging along with him.

"Do you want to discuss any of the…um…details about this tonight?" Dani said, giving him a big grin.

Elliot scowled at her. "What are you talking about? We already discussed the plan during our meeting."

Dani ran her hand lightly down his arm, looking up at him through her lashes. "I mean, we should figure out this whole husband and wife thing." She said, leaning in a little closer. "We have to pretend like we're married…like we're in love."

Elliot wrapped his hand around hers and pointedly removed it from his arm, dropping it as he took a step backwards. "We'll be fine." He glanced over and saw Fin watching them with an unreadable expression on his face. He almost expected to turn and see Olivia had walked back into the squad room because that would just be his luck, but when he glanced back, she hadn't materialized.

"Maybe we could go out to breakfast and at least talk things through." Dani said, looking annoyed.

"I already ate." Elliot lied.

"But…" Dani started but Elliot cut her off.

"Listen. I've got some things I need to take care of today. I'll meet you tonight as planned." He didn't give her another chance to object before he headed out of the room. He wanted to ask Fin if he knew where Olivia had gone, but he didn't want to linger and give Dani another chance to corner him. He hesitated momentarily in the hallway but decided to check the cribs first. It was usually where one or the other of them headed when they needed a break or to blow off some steam.

It turned out to be the right choice. Olivia was laying on her back in one of the bunks with an arm thrown over her eyes, and she didn't move when he entered the room. He was pretty sure she had heard him come in; there was no way she was sleeping. So, he walked over next to her bunk and stood there, waiting for her to react to his presence.

When she didn't respond right away, he decided that he really don't know what her mood was, so it probably wasn't a good idea to be his usual pain in the ass self. "Liv…" He said, deciding to go for humor. "You going to take a nap _now_?"

As soon as she lifted her arm, he realized he had made a bad choice. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he took a half step back.

"It was just a joke." He said, backpedaling quickly. "I just came looking for you so we could get started on our day."

"I thought you'd be busy, so I already talked to Fin about going with me to re-interview Hewitt." Olivia hadn't actually asked Fin to go with her, but laying here, she had already made plans to ask him. She assumed Elliot was going to be leaving with Dani, and even if he didn't, she was angry with him. He had conveniently failed to mention that he wasn't done working on this case with Dani, and she sure hadn't been ready to see her _and_ her Captain this morning.

"What?" Elliot asked. "This is our case. We both need to re-interview Hewitt together. And I'm not busy."

"You're not still working on this case with Dani?" Olivia asked skeptically as she sat up on the bed. She knew he was; there was no other reason for the visit this morning.

Elliot shifted uncomfortably on his feet, stepping back slightly as Olivia swung her legs to the floor. "Well…yes. I am, but…"

"That's what I thought. That's exactly why I thought I'd better find a partner to work with on this case." Olivia pushed herself off the bunk and put some distance between her and Elliot. As she turned to face him, she crossed her arms in front her. "Or, maybe longer."

"Christ Liv, I didn't ask to keep working on this case, but what am I supposed to do? We need to catch this guy before anyone else gets hurt! You've always been about the victims, so why is this any different?"

Olivia let out a sigh, unsure of how to answer the question. She understood what he was saying; she always put the victims first, and she wasn't thinking about them right now. She was only thinking about Dani, and how much she wanted to tell him that he could say no…could tell them to find someone else…when an idea popped into her head. "If they need an SVU detective, then why can't I partner up with Dani?"

"How's that going to work? We're going undercover as husband and wife and they already have set things up so it's not easy to just sub…" Elliot stopped when he saw the look on Olivia's face. It took him a second before he remembered that not only had he neglected to tell Olivia that the case was ongoing, he hadn't told her about the undercover portion either.

"You're going undercover." Olivia said in disbelief. "As husband and wife." She felt the anger coiled like a snake in her belly. She shook her head. "You're unbelievable." She took a step closer to Elliot. "You knew this yesterday, and you didn't bother to mention this?"

"Your right. I should have." Elliot admitted. "But I told you, I don't give a damn about Dani, so I didn't think it really mattered."

"Of course it matters!" Olivia said, trying to keep the volume of her voice down, but succeeding only marginally.

"Why?" Elliot asked, taking a step to close the gap between them. His hands were in front of him, with his elbows bent and his palms facing each other as he asked the question. "I already told you…"

"Yeah, you may have told me, but I don't think she got the memo." Olivia spat out. She'd seen the way Dani had been looking at Elliot, and Olivia knew exactly what had been on her mind. It's the very reason she had made the assumption that they'd slept together.

"I don't care if she got the damn memo." Elliot shot back. "I think I was pretty clear last night that there's only one woman for me…" He watched Olivia's stony expression, and despite what he was saying, it wasn't changing. Her face didn't soften, even a little. "You know what?" he said, his anger and frustration really spiking. "You're acting like a child."

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, matching his tone as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"You heard me." Elliot said. He evened out the tone and volume of his voice, wanting to make sure she really heard him. "I told you how I was feeling last night. I showed you…" He shook his head slightly. "God…I _showed_ you…" He let out a huff, wondering how she could still have any question after their conversation and their heated kisses. "And it wasn't Dani." He bit down on his bottom lip, staring down at the floor momentarily, and then looked up again. His eyes caught hers and he held her there for a moment before he spoke again. "If there's an issue with Dani, that's on you. I'm working with her in a professional capacity. We're going to get this asshole and we're going to put him away, and I'm going to feel good about it. I don't give a shit if she's got some kind of ulterior motive because I'm not interested. Not at all. So, you can yell and rage and throw your temper tantrum if that's what you want, or you can get over it, believe what I said, and we can move on from here. Move on to something I hope it s a hell of a lot more pleasant than this." He could see the shocked expression on her face, but it was the Gods honest truth. There was nothing more that he could say to convince her…that he wanted to say. He was tired of the whole subject of Dani Beck, and Olivia either needed to trust him or not. If she couldn't, then he didn't know what the future was going to hold for them. Because up until now, complete trust in each other had been a major cornerstone in their relationship.

Olivia couldn't believe Elliot was saying these things to her. Calling her a child…telling her to get over it. She didn't imagine those lingering looks…those lustful glances. She didn't trust the damn woman, and sometimes Elliot could be so naïve. She was smarting at the way he had turned on her, and a part of her brain was still processing it. She wanted to say something as he turned and walked away from her, but she was rendered speechless, and she just stood there as he walked out of the cribs.

She walked back over to the bunk she'd been laying on and sat down hard, dropping her head in her hands. She replayed the conversation in her head, feeling her blood pressure spike as she recalled the things he'd said. If he really cared about her, he would have given up the case. He would have told them he couldn't do it. Olivia knew it was selfish, but there were plenty of other cops that could play the role. Dani had just used this as a convenient excuse to get her hooks in Elliot, and he was too dumb to realize it. Or too cocky to think anyone else could do the job.

Goddamn it. The man was so frustrating.

Responses to his ridiculous claims were popping in her head left and right now, and she kicked herself for not fighting back. She pushed herself up from the bed, wondering if she could get him alone again to finish this argument, when she heard a knock on the door. She adopted her best bitchy expression, expecting to see Elliot walk back through the door, but she let out a heavy sigh when she saw it was Fin.

"Everything okay?" He asked warily, looking around the room.

Olivia wasn't sure what he expected to see in the room…maybe more evidence of some kind of fight…but she told him it was safe to come in. Despite that, he walked in cautiously and stopped just inside the door.

"Cragen is looking for you." He said. "I guess we're supposed to be doing some follow-up interviews?"

Olivia knew then that Elliot must have left, and it didn't escape her that the lie she'd told Elliot was now coming true. She nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you need a few minutes?" He asked, raising one eyebrow as he looked at her stoic expression and body language.

Olivia ran her hands through her hair. "Maybe just a minute." She replied. She jerked her head in the direction of the bathroom. "I'll be out in a minute and then we can go."

Fin nodded and left her alone, and Olivia sat down hard on the bed again. She didn't want to go on these interviews. She wanted to find Elliot and finish this damn conversation, and she knew it was going to be difficult to focus on this case.

Or maybe this would be the distraction she needed to keep her mind of Elliot. And Dani.

And where they were.

And what they were doing right now.

Or would be doing later today.

Or tonight.

Olivia let out a groan as an image of Dani backing Elliot up against the wall popped into her mind. She could see her hands running down his arms…his chest…

Elliot would certainly stop her. Except that they were supposed to be playing husband and wife. _Play-acting_. Elliot would go along with it, for the sake of the case. It meant nothing.

But Olivia couldn't get the images out of her mind. She dropped her head in her hands again and let out a sound of frustration, willing herself to put her focus where it was needed.

Olivia heard the door open again and she jerked her head up and saw Fin standing there.

"You about ready?"

Olivia let out a long, slow sigh, mentally pushing thoughts of Elliot and Dani to the side. "Yeah. I'm ready."


	11. Chapter 11

Olivia stewed silently in the car as she and Fin drove through the city streets. She couldn't get her conversation with Elliot out of her mind.

"I woulda thought that you'da figured out how to keep Stabler from getting under your skin by now." Fin finally ventured, after a long 15 minutes of stony silence.

Olivia just sighed. She didn't have any energy to disagree with him or defend herself. The silence ensued as she looked out the window, and she knew she was making Fin uncomfortable, but she just couldn't seem to shake herself out of this mood.

"That bad huh?"

Olivia turned back to look at Fin. "It's just been hard…you know…since I've been back. We just have to figure out how to work together and I think things are going well and then…" She sighed again and turned back towards the window. "Something gets in the way."

"Something like Dani Beck?"

Olivia knew her silence was her answer, and she hated that she was admitting this to Fin. But she knew that if she lied, he'd see right through her anyway. He'd know her for too long.

"Are you kiddin' me right now?" Fin said as he slowed the car and pulled into a No Parking spot on the side of the street.

Olivia looked back at him as he put the car in park.

"You're letting Beck push your buttons?"

Olivia saw he was shaking his head. She could see the disbelief in his expression. "I'm not letting her push my buttons." She said defensively.

"Yeah? Then what's all this bullshit?" He waved one hand back and forth between them. "You and Stabler stomping 'round and all this moody shit?"

"It's complicated."

"Now you're gonna give me that _it's complicated_ bs?" Fin came close to rolling his eyes at her. "You think I'm an idiot?"

Olivia knew that she and Elliot were naïve if they thought their interactions with each other, in any form, went unseen by anyone else in the squad room. Munch and Fin…and Cragen to some degree…had put up with them and their drama for years. The only reason it hadn't become an issue was because of their close rate, and the fact that despite the conflict and layers of complexity that framed their working relationship, they ultimately made it work. "No, I don't think you're an idiot. In fact, I think it's amazing that you haven't called us out on our shit more often." She said with a sigh, being honest with him.

"It's a daily battle." Fin admitted, with no hint of sarcasm. "I just put up with Stabler because you do."

"Fin…" Olivia said deprecatingly.

"Whatever." Fin said resignedly. "You and Stabler are gonna do what you're gonna do." He ran his hand along the steering wheel. "What I don't understand is why you let fucking Dani under your skin. You're one of the biggest badasses I know. I've seen you take down perps twice your size. I've seen you make grown men cry for their mama…and yet you let some punk ass woman intimidate you?" He asked. "That's not the Olivia Benson I know." He shook his head again. "That's not the Olivia Benson I want to know." He grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open, slamming it before she could say anything.

Olivia sat there for a minute, letting his words sink in. He was right. Fin was absolutely right. She was a fighter. She fought for victims…she fought for justice…she fought for families and children and Elliot and his family and Fin and Munch and anyone else that crossed her path.

The only person she _never_ fought for was herself. She had spent her life taking care of everyone else. It had started with her mother and had gone on from them. She became the crusader…the defender of victims…and advocate for everyone else. She always convinced herself that her needs and wants weren't important, or at least as important as anyone else's.

Even when she was in Oregon, and she couldn't get Elliot out of her mind, she had convinced herself that he didn't feel the way she did, and that for everyone's sake, she needed to stuff her wants and desires deep inside.

But yesterday, Elliot had told her exactly how he felt…what he wanted. And what he didn't.

When Dani had shown up this morning, all of her insecurities had bubbled to the surface. She had forgotten everything that Elliot had said or subconsciously wouldn't let herself believe it. It had all coe to the surface, and while Elliot's accusations had stunned this morning, she understood them a little more in this moment. Fin's comments brought them into a different light.

There was a knock on the window, and it startled her so much, she jumped.

"You gonna sit there all day or are we gonna go interview this dude?" Fin yelled, loud enough so she could hear him through the glass.

Olivia opened the door and Fin stood back, giving her room to get out and close the door.

"You got your head in the game?" He asked.

"I've got this." Olivia nodded. "I've got this."

EOEOEOEOEO

Their second discussion with their witness hadn't yielded any more information, and Olivia knew that her restlessness and impatience hadn't helped. Fin had shot her a look a couple of times, and she had tried to refocus, but she couldn't keep her mind of Elliot and Dani. Elliot hadn't looked very happy with her as she'd left the squad room with Fin, and she wondered when he had planned on meeting up with Dani. She was assuming…maybe hoping…that it would be later on this afternoon, or even this evening.

They were walking back out to the car, when Olivia put a hand on Fin's arm to stop him. He turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow, and she dropped her hand.

"Hey." Olivia said. "Sorry about that…" She nodded her head towards the apartment building behind them.

"He wasn't gonna tell us nothin' anyway." Fin said. He walked around to the other side and opened the door but stopped when he saw Olivia was still standing on the sidewalk. "What?" He asked.

"Do you mind covering for me for a little while?" Olivia asked. "I have something I need to take care of."

Fin grinned. "Nah. I don't mind." Fin opened the door. "If you want to tell me where you're going, I could drop ya'…"

Olivia shook her head. "That's OK." She said. "It's probably better if you don't know." She saw the look of surprise on Fin's face. "It's not like that." She said, wondering what he thought she was going to do. "It's just better for you to be honest if you have to tell Cragen that you don't know where I am."

Fin chuckled as he started to climb into the car. "Got it." He hit the button that lowered the passenger side window and leaned over.

Olivia rested her hand on the side of the car and leaned in to hear what he had to say. "Yeah?"

"Glad to see the badass woman I know is back." He grinned at her as he put the car in gear, and Olivia barely stepped away before he started pulling away from the curb.

It was crazy that Fin's comment gave her another small boost of confidence and she straightened up a little as she looked down the street for a cab. Several passed her, full of passengers, and she realized she really didn't have much of a plan. But she was too impatient, so when a cab finally slowed down, she slid in and gave them the address of the 12th precinct.

There was a certain detective there that she needed to talk to.

She just hoped that she didn't walk in and see Elliot sitting there. Olivia slid her phone out of her pocket and pulled up Elliot's contact information. She debated about calling him, just to see where he was, but she called Fin instead.

"Hey." She said when he answered. "Are you back at the precinct yet?"

"Are you crazy?" Fin responded. "You're acting like you never driven in this city."

"Yeah, OK." Olivia said. She hadn't been thinking about how much time had passed. "Well, when you get back to the precinct, can you just text me and let me know if Elliot is there?"

Fin groaned. "You want me to pass him a note or something?"

"C'mon Fin. Will you just do it?"

"Yeah yeah." Fin said. "I've got you."

"Thanks." Olivia said, hanging up the phone with a smile on her face. Fin always backed her play, and she made a mental note to thank him again when she saw him. The cab crawled through the city, and she took a couple of deep breaths, knowing that once she entered the 12th precinct, there was no going back.

That was okay.

Her head was clear, maybe for the first time since she'd been back from Oregon.

Her knee jumped impatiently as they stalled at another stoplight, and it was almost 30 minutes later when they finally pulled up outside the 12th. She paid him quickly and hopped out…not because she was afraid of losing her nerve, but because she was anxious to play this out.

Olivia checked in at the front desk, and then made her way up to the fourth floor. She looked around the unfamiliar squad room, looking for the blonde detective, but when she found her, she saw Dani had already spotted her. Dani was out of her chair and moving towards her, and Olivia couldn't believe she had a grin on her face.

"Olivia!" Dani said, surprise evident in her voice.

"It's Detective Benson." Olivia said formally, keeping emotion out of her voice. That brought Dani up short, and the grin on her face disappeared.

"Oh." She said. "OK." She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and looked behind her, and then back at Olivia. "Um…Elliot's not here."

"I know." Olivia had received a text from Fin while she was in the taxi, letting her know that Elliot was sitting at his desk and that he was asking where the hell Fin had left her. He confirmed that he'd taken care of it, leaving Olivia to wonder just what Fin had told Elliot. "I want to talk to you." Olivia glanced around the room and saw several other people in the room had their eyes trained on the two of them. "Is there someplace we can go where we'll have some privacy?"

"Well, uh…I'm kind of in the middle of something right now." Dani said, fidgeting in place.

Olivia knew it was a stalling tactic, and she really couldn't blame Dani for not wanting to talk to her. but she wasn't going to let her off the hook. "It's important." Olivia watched as Dani tried to come up with some other reason to bow out of the conversation, but she must have decided that Olivia wasn't going to let it go.

"We can go into one of the interview rooms, or …"

Dani's voice trailed off, and Olivia wondered where else she was going to suggest before she changed her mind. Then it came to her. "The roof?" She asked.

"Well, yeah, but I think an interview room would be better."

Olivia wanted to laugh. It was glad to see that Dani had a healthy dose of fear when it came to her, even though the woman didn't really know her. It was good to know that she was on top of her game…and it almost made her smile. "Maybe the roof would be more private." Olivia said…only because she wanted to keep Dani off-center. The few times she'd come across her, she'd been cocky, and Olivia had no doubt that side of her would still make an appearance.

"Whatever." Dani said, brushing past Olivia as she headed out of the squad room. "Follow me."

_That didn't take long_. Olivia thought as the younger detective knocked into her and regained her attitude. It was almost admiral in a way. _Show no fear._ Based on her demeanor, Olivia had to wonder if Dani had some inkling of why she was here. She fell in stride, following the blonde down a long hallway until they reached the elevator. They took it to the top floor, and then had to hit the stairs for the last leg until Dani pushed open a door clearly marked No Entry.

There were two older uniforms up there sitting at a makeshift table and having a smoke, but when they saw the two detectives, they snuffed out their butts, and got up quickly, avoiding eye contact as they made their way to the door.

Dani gestured towards the picnic table, indicating Olivia could have a seat.

"I'll stand." Olivia said.

"Suit yourself." Dani said, going around the table and sliding on to the recently vacated bench.

Olivia wondered about the move, which gave Olivia the upper hand, looking down at Dani. She supposed it was another one of those _show no fear_ moves. She was trying to let Olivia know that she wasn't bothered by her presence or anything she was about to say. Obviously, she didn't know who she was dealing with.

"So…" Dani said impatiently. "You said you needed to talk to me." She said, making random patterns on the plywood table with her fingers as she tried to look nonchalant. "If it's about the undercover…" She shrugged her shoulders. "It's kind of a done deal. Elliot agreed…so…" She shrugged again. "Not sure what else there is to talk about."

Olivia just stared at her for a moment, using her most intimidating expression. "You think you're so smart, figuring out how to pull Elliot into your investigation and getting everyone to buy in to it. And that's fine. Elliot wants to help these potential victims, and so do it." She took a few steps closer to the table, leaned over, and pressed her fingertips on the top of the table, giving Dani her best intimidating stares. "But you and me…we have some other things to talk about."

Dani sat up straight, trying to create some distance between she and Olivia, but she couldn't without standing. "Yeah?"

Olivia wanted to laugh at her weak attempt to challenge her. "Yeah." She nodded. "You and I need to get a few things straight."

"This is bullshit." Dani said, pushing herself up from the seat. "I don't need to listen to this. I'm done."

Olivia straightened up. "Sit down." Olivia said. "And shut up." She glared at Dani and was happy to see her comply. "I'm talking now. And we're not even close to done."


	12. Chapter 12

Olivia straightened up. "Sit down." Olivia said. "And shut up." She glared at Dani and was happy to see her comply. "I'm talking now. And we're not even close to done."

Dani glared at her, but she made no motions to move again, and Olivia took that as a good sign. She didn't expect it to last. Olivia was angry now, and she tried to tamp it down slightly. She wanted to keep her edge, but she didn't want to completely lose it. Control was key.

"I get that you think you have Elliot have some kind of _relationship_…for lack of a better term." Olivia started. "But it's not what you're fantasizing it to be." She said pointedly. Dani had set her jaw and narrowed her eyes, and Olivia knew she wasn't going to keep quiet for long. "You were Elliot's partner…_temporary_ partner and that's it. You worked a few cases, and when you couldn't handle it, you left."

"It wasn't quite as simple as you're making it out to be." Dani said, an edge of anger in her own voice.

"I think it is." Olivia snapped back.

"You weren't there." Dani said heatedly. "How the hell do you know?" She stood up. "The fact is, Elliot and I got close. _Very close_." Dani leaned in slightly, as she emphasized the last words.

"Elliot and I have been partners for a long time." Olivia said, shaking her head. "You have no idea what that even means." She wasn't going to give Dani any information on just how close she and Elliot were, and all the drama that ensued over the years because of it.

Dani laughed, and that made Olivia's blood boil. Dani came around the picnic table and Olivia turned to face her but didn't back up.

"I know what _you_ think it means." Dani said snidely. "Yeah, he mooned around for a bit, crabby as all hell, thinking he missed you and couldn't work without you and all that bullshit. But I tell you what, he snapped out of it really quickly."

Olivia wanted to wipe the self-satisfied smirk off Dani's face, but she kept her balled fist at her side. As good as that would feel, she didn't want to resort to physical violence. "I don't need to listen to your delusions. The reality is that Elliot was trying to make it work because that's the kind of guy he is. Whatever else you think was going on is all in your head." The smirk didn't leave Dani's face, and Olivia narrowed her eyes slightly, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"I hate to break it to you…" Dani said, almost sweetly. "But it definitely wasn't all in my head. When Elliot was kissing me…when he was holding me in his arms…"

"Just stop it." Olivia said, trying to maintain her composure despite the punch in the gut she'd just received. Elliot had neglected to mention any of that, and it made her falter slightly. But she remembered everything he had said to her the day before and her resolution to get what she wanted…and she pushed the hurt aside. "That didn't mean _anything_. He was just confused." Olivia said. Porter popped into her mind, and she knew she hadn't been fair in not telling Elliot about that little dalliance either.

"Now who's delusional?" Dani asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Looks to me like you've been leading that poor man on all these years…making him think he's in love with you and being a total cocktease…"

Olivia slapped her then. _Hard. _ Her hand came up before she could even stop to think about it. When it connected, she heard and felt how soundly the palm of her hand has connected with Dani's cheek, and a guttural cry came out of Dani's mouth. Her hand flew to her cheek, and she turned back to face Olivia with a look of utter shock on her face.

"You bitch!" She sputtered.

Olivia leaned in slightly, jabbing a finger at Dani. "I'm going to be very clear, since I don't seem to be getting through to you." She said with venom in her voice. "Elliot is off-limits. You can play your little game with the undercover if that gets you off, but you need to know that for Elliot, it's strictly professional. He doesn't want you…and never has."

Dani started to sputter a response, but Olivia didn't let her.

"Once this job is over, if I hear another word about you…a text message…a phone call…" She shook her head. "If you so much as bat an eyelash in his direction, I promise you, I'll be back. And then you'll find out just what a bitch I can really be."

"Is that a threat?" Dani spat out, straightening herself up as she dropped her hand from her cheek.

"Yes." Olivia said, matter-of-factly. She could see the imprint of her hand on Dani's cheek and that the blonde cop was absolutely seething.

"I think Elliot's a grown man, and he can make his own decisions." She said firmly, the challenge still in her voice. "So, I'm not quite sure why _you're_ here, unless you're worried that he won't pick you…"

Olivia resisted the urge to hit her again. She almost had to admire her spunk, if she wasn't so incredibly stupid. "Elliot _has_ made his choice." She said firmly. "And it isn't you. And I have no doubt that if you talk to him, he'll tell you the exact same thing."

"Maybe I'll do that." She said, calling Olivia's bluff.

Olivia pressed her lips together. "Go ahead." She said. "But I'm telling you, once he tells you that he doesn't have any interest in you, you can fuck off. And…my promise to you still stands." She took a half step closer to Dani, and bit back a smile when Dani retreated to keep the distance between them. "If I have to come back here…" She let the threat lay there. Dani could feel in the blanks however she'd like.

"I could have you collared for assault." Dani spat at her. "I can call IAB…"

Olivia didn't hear much vehemence in her voice, so she didn't view it as much of a threat. "About a friendly conversation?" Olivia voice was sickeningly sweet. She wanted to tell Dani that she hadn't seen even a fraction of just how much of a bitch she could be…but she held her tongue.

"But…" Dani sputtered.

Olivia could tell she wanted to come back with some kind of vehement response, but the fight was out of her. She finally seemed to realize that Olivia was serious…dead serious…and that she wasn't going to win. Perhaps she was thinking she would lick her wounds and try another tactic. Olivia had no illusions that this would be the last of it. In fact, she was pretty sure that Dani would try to win back Elliot's affections during their undercover op, but she felt at peace with it. She was going to let Elliot know that she wasn't unsure about them anymore and that she wasn't insecure about Dani. She was going to grab the brass ring and go for it, because she was tired of the games they'd been playing all these years.

For once, she was going to fight for herself and for what she wanted. This conversation with Dani had been the first step…a warm-up…and she felt good. Strong.

Olivia saw Dani was still staring at her…still trying to formulate some kind of comeback, but Olivia was done. She was just about to tell her that very thing when she heard the scrape of the door. They both turned and saw a uniformed officer lean out, grasping the door with his head as he looked around. He saw them standing near the table and called out.

"Beck. Captains looking for ya'." He ducked back inside the door without getting a response, and they both turned back towards each other.

"This isn't the last of this." Dani sputtered, fury in her eyes.

"Oh, I think it is." Olivia said. She didn't wait for any other response. She simply turned and walked away, leaving Dani to fume over what she'd said.

Olivia made her way down the stairs and the elevator and finally ended up on the sidewalk outside of the 12th precinct. She felt good. Clear-headed. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed up Fin.

"Yeah." Fin answered.

"Hey." Olivia said. "I'm headed back to the precinct."

"OK. Thanks for the newsflash." Fin said sarcastically.

"I just wanted to know…" She said tentatively, knowing she was pushing it. "Is Elliot there?"

Fin groaned into the phone. "Seriously?"

"Last time." Olivia said, silently begging him to tell her that Elliot was still there.

Fin groaned into the phone. "Yeah, he's here. We done now?"

"Thanks Fin." Olivia said happily. She hung up the phone and rushed over to the curb to wave down a taxi. Hopefully traffic this time of day wouldn't slow her down too much, and she could get back before Elliot decided to leave. Whatever else happened, she needed to talk to him _today_. Before he went on his undercover assignment.

EOEOEOEO

Luck wasn't on her side and it took Olivia almost 45 minutes to get to the 16th due to a traffic accident that had things snarled up in midtown. Her impatience was at an all time high, and at several points, she debated getting out of the taxi and walking the rest of the way. But they slowly crawled through the city until he got close and Olivia told him to stop. She could walk the last two blocks.

When she got to the squad room, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Elliot sitting at his desk. He caught sight of her the minute she crossed the threshold and caught her eye as she walked over to where he was sitting.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Olivia said, a little breathless from her jog and anticipation.

"Where the hell have you been?" Elliot asked, leaning back in his chair and eyeing her skeptically.

Olivia decided she wasn't going to be put off by his rough tone. "I had an errand to run." She saw Elliot look over at Fin skeptically, and she wondered what story Fin had concocted. But it was too late now. "Can I talk to you?" Olivia asked. "In private." She added in a slightly quieter tone.

Elliot looked up at Olivia, considering her request. This was not the same woman that had left the precinct a few hours earlier, and he wondered about the change in demeanor. She looked like she was practically jumping out of her skin; she obviously had something she wanted to tell him. He couldn't imagine what could have happened in the last few hours, but she didn't seem angry or upset, so he hoped that was a good sign. He had been disappointed when Fin had returned without her, hoping for another chance to talk to her. He hadn't expected to even see her again today and had been pondering his next move when she had suddenly showed up. Lucky for him, because he hadn't come up with any feasible plan to track down an angry Olivia Benson and get her to talk to him.

"Yeah." Elliot pushed his chair back from his desk. "I need to tell you something too."

Olivia turned, not even waiting for him, and headed for the cribs. He hurried to keep up with her, but she disappeared, and the door closed before he could reach her. When he pushed open the door, he saw she had turned and was only a few feet inside the door, with a slight look of apprehension on her face. But the moment the door closed behind him, she walked purposefully towards him, reaching for his upper arms and pressing him up against the door. "What the…" But he couldn't even finish his question because Olivia was kissing him…sliding her hands up his shoulders and his neck…turning her head and deepening the kiss before he even had time to react. It popped into his mind that they were in the precinct…that anyone could walk in on them at any minute, but the urgency with which Olivia was kissing him drove all rational thoughts from his mind and he slid his right hand in her hair and drew her body against his with his arm, kissing her back with matched ferocity. She hummed in appreciation, and when she slid her tongue inside his mouth, he felt it every part of his body. Their tongues tangled for dominance, but he'd let her win if it meant she'd keep kissing him like this. He wondered just how far they could take this with dozens of cops on the other side of this door. He had left her apartment yesterday with his self-control intact, but she was making it damn hard to have any semblance of control right now. Her hands had slipped from his face and were working their way down his body…touching…exploring…and he felt his body flush with heat. He had kept his hands from roaming, but it was becoming increasingly difficult, and he knew he needed to stop this right now, before they took things too far.

Olivia could feel Elliot trying to put on the brakes, and she knew they should. But right now, she didn't care who walked in. Their days were numbered anyway…

"Liv." Elliot said, breaking the kiss but brushing her lips still as he spoke. "What the…what are you doing?" He asked. He ran his hands up her arms, putting a little space between their bodies, but keeping her close.

Olivia could see that he was confused, and it was no surprise after how she'd left things this morning. She had planned on dragging him into the cribs to talk, but when he'd walked through the door, she'd been overwhelmed with the desire to kiss him, and she'd just gone with it. "I'm sorry. About this morning." She said quickly…the words tumbling from her mouth. "You were right. I was jealous of Dani, and I shouldn't have been. I just…it's been so hard over the years, wanting this…wanting you…and telling myself I didn't. And keeping things professional…or maybe not always quite professional…but never crossing that line. I didn't know where I stood or if I was imagining things or if maybe things were just always going to be like this and then yesterday…" She took in a deep breath. "You told me how you felt…and I…we…" She shook her head slightly. "I should have known that you wouldn't say those things if you didn't mean them, and I don't know why I let Dani get under my skin and then Fin…"

"Fin?" Elliot gave her a puzzled look and pressed his fingers lightly into her shoulder. "Never mind. Just slow down. And breathe." Elliot gave her a grin. "You're not making any sense."

Olivia took a deep breath and took a few steps back, forcing Elliot to drop his hands. She took another deep breath and let it out slowly through her pursed lips, and then looked back at Elliot, capturing his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm not scared anymore. I know what I want, and I'm not going to let anyone, including myself, get in the way." She got no reaction from Elliot, and a mild thread of panic snaked up her spine. "Unless…"

Elliot grinned at her. "C'mere." He said. She smiled and moved towards him, and she let out a small sound of surprise as he spun her around, backing her up against the door. "I haven't changed my mind." He said, pressing a gentle kiss against her lips. "It's you and me Benson." He kissed her again, opening her mouth with his, but he kept his hands from wandering. There would be time for there, and God, he hoped it was going to be soon. This woman was sure to be the death of him.

They were both startled and broke their kiss when they heard the rattle of the doorknob and someone push against the door. "Hey…is someone in there?"

They both stifled a laugh when they heard Fin's voice, and Elliot spoke up. "Yeah…I'll be right out."

"Seriously?" They heard Fin mutter. He said something else, but he was moving away from the door, so they couldn't make out what it was.

"Whatever happens…" Elliot said. "We can't be doing this at work." He tried to sound serious, but there was a mischievous grin on Olivia's mouth, and he knew it was going to be a tough bargain to keep. He took a few steps away from her, willing his body to cool off before he had to go back into the squad room.

Olivia moved away from the door, and opened it slightly, before turning back towards Elliot. "Hey, what was it that you wanted to tell me?" She asked.

Elliot brightened up. "Oh yeah. This'll make you happy." He said. "Captain Shay contacted Cragen and said they don't need me on the case anymore. So, I guess I won't be going undercover…"

Olivia feigned surprise but she was delighted to hear the news. She hadn't expected that to happen, but she wasn't going to complain. "Perfect." She said. "So…maybe tonight…you can come over to my place and we can pick up where we left off."

Elliot watched as she gave him another mischievous smile, and then she was gone. When he'd been planning on meeting Dani for the undercover, he had willed the day to creep by. But now…the rest of the day couldn't go fast enough.


	13. Chapter 13

Olivia sat at her desk, and she could feel Elliot's eyes on her. She didn't dare look up, because if her eyes caught his, she knew she'd either blush or start smiling like an idiot. This is one of the things she had worried about if she and Elliot ever started anything. He seemed to think they could keep it out of the squad room, but anyone watching right now would know that something was up.

Maybe it was just the anticipation of what was to (hopefully) come.

She glanced up and saw Elliot was working on the report, and then she looked over at Fin and Munch to see if they were giving them any strange looks, but it seemed all was normal. So maybe the increased sexual tension was all in her mind. Her eyes swung back to Elliot's, and she saw he was looking at her. He raised one eyebrow and gave her a look that let her know if was having the same troubles she was, and she felt her body flush. Elliot grinned, and she looked away quickly, wondering if it would always be like this now.

She imagined it would be much worse after she knew exactly what it was like to have Elliot's intensity unleashed.

Olivia was having trouble concentrating, and she pushed herself away from her desk, intent on escaping to the cribs or the bathroom for a few minutes to get her mind, and her body, back in work mode. But before she could walk away, Cragen came out of his office. She wondered if there was an update on their case, because right now, they were stuck, but the Captain stopped at Elliot's desk.

"I talked to Captain Shay, and he said he's got a detective from Brooklyn SVU, so looks like you're off the undercover like you requested." He said.

Olivia's ears perked up, and she saw Elliot glance at her quickly before looking up at the Captain.

"Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it."

"Just as long as they found someone, it's not a big deal. Hope things work out." He said as he walked back towards his office.

Olivia's mind was processing the conversation. Elliot had told her that Shay had called and canceled, and she had been fairly certain it was because of her conversation with Dani, but now…

_Had Elliot asked to be removed from the undercover assignment?_

What had Cragen meant we he said _hope things work out?_

Despite being a slight hit to her ego, the fact that Elliot had asked to be removed meant so much. He'd heard what she said, and he'd been sensitive to her feelings. Or…was he worried that he wouldn't be able to control himself around Dani?

She shut down that line of thinking right away; she didn't know where this jealousy was coming from. It was so unlike her.

"Liv."

Olivia's thoughts were interrupted, and she swung her gaze back at Elliot.

"I can hear you thinking from here…" He pushed himself out of his chair and jerked his head towards the hallway. He could see the look of confusion on her face; he had misled her slightly when he had said that Shay had called and waved him off. He saw her hesitate and glance over at Munch and Fin, but both of them were engrossed in what they were doing, somewhat conditioned to be oblivious. She was still seemingly tense, but he saw her nod slightly and he held out a hand, waiting for her to pass by him and then followed her out.

Olivia turned in the hallway and waited for Elliot to catch up, a line of questions running through her mind. She didn't wait for him to speak first. "What was that all about?" She asked, waving her hand towards the squad room. "I thought you said that you had been removed from the case."

"I have been taken off the case." Elliot replied, coming to a stop a few feet from her.

"Yes, but I thought you were taken off the case because…" She sputtered, not wanting to reveal the role she thought she had played in his removal from the case. "I just thought they had decided to go a different direction."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. It felt like Olivia was holding something back, but he couldn't imagine what. "Listen, it's not a big deal. I knew the idea of me going undercover bothered you…even though it shouldn't." He said pointedly. He glanced towards the squad room to make sure no one was eavesdropping or coming there way. "But I don't want anything to get in the way of…" He lowered his voice. "whatever's happening here." He said, leaning in slightly to ensure she heard him. "I told them to figure out if there was another option, and as long as they could find someone, I told them I'd like to withdraw my name for the case."

Olivia thought that was an incredibly sweet gesture, feeling any residual jealousy slipping away. "That's…" She felt awkward telling him how thoughtful it was. "I really appreciate that." She said. She furrowed her brow. "But what reason did you give to Cragen?" Hope things work out.

"I just told him that I couldn't afford the extra time on the job. That I had other priorities, and that it was going to be too difficult. He just assumed I was talking about my kids."

Olivia wondered briefly if Cragen had bought Elliot's story, since she and Elliot normally spent a ridiculous number of hours at work. But she guessed it didn't matter.

"So…" Elliot said. "Either way, it doesn't matter. I'm off the hook and free tonight." He took a half step closer, getting much closer than he should, but feeling bold. "Does your offer still stand?"

Olivia felt a thrum low in her belly, and leaned into him as well, prepared to answer, when she heard Fin.

"Seriously? Thought we were keeping it out of the squad room."

Olivia and Elliot stepped back and watched Fin shaking his head as he headed down the hallway towards the elevators.

"Come over at 7." Olivia said. Then she turned and headed back to her desk.

Elliot looked at his watch, hoping that somehow, time had moved more quickly than the last time he looked. He let out a sigh.

It hadn't.

EOEOEOEO

The rest of the afternoon went by with an agonizing slowness that Olivia could never remember experiencing before.

She had thinking about this evening, over and over. She wasn't quite sure how things were going to play out and it had been bothering her. They'd spent so long working to keep their distance, and they'd made an artform out of avoidance and denial, that it was amazing that they'd even kissed. But even them, despite what was running through both of their heads, they had both shown restraint in taking things any farther, and she knew tonight was going to be equally as difficult. Hopefully, the restraints would be off and once they started kissing, neither one of them would put on the brakes and slow things down.

She didn't want slow.

She wanted heated, urgent kisses and roaming hands. She wanted to feel Elliot's hand on breasts, between her legs…

Olivia bit off a moan at the thought of it and knocked her knees as she practically jumped out of her chair. The noise and her sudden movement startled Elliot.

"Jeez." He said. "What happened?'

"Nothing. I'm just…I have to go."

Elliot looked at his watch and saw it was only 430. "Now?"

"Yes. Now." Olivia said, gathering her things out of her drawer. "I have some things to take care of." She said, not really looking at Elliot. She pushed her chair in and glanced at Cragen's closed door. With any luck, he'd stay in there and wouldn't notice she'd snuck out a little early.

"Things?" Elliot asked, a list of potential items running through his mind.

Olivia stopped and looked over at him, lifting one eyebrow slightly. "Yes." She said. "I have a hot date tonight." She said mischievously.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Munch asked, picking up on the conversation.

Olivia looked over at him. "C'mon John. You know me by now. I don't kiss and tell."

"I have to live vicariously through you Liv." Munch said, wiggling his eyebrows at her in a teasing manner. "I'm going to _need_ the details."

Olivia laughed. "Never gonna happen." She turned and waved as she walked out of the room. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Olivia took the elevator down, already planning on a few stops on her way home. She wanted to pick up some wine for sure…and maybe some beer for Elliot. _Would he even drink wine?_ Maybe she would make some food. _Dinner?_

No.

Not dinner.

The more she thought about it, the more she had decided that she was going to take matters into her own hands. She was going to take the decision right out of Elliot's hands, and there wasn't going to be any awkward entrances or forced conversation over dinner. She was going to let Elliot know exactly what she wanted and give him permission to give in to his base desires.

Her entire body clenched at the thought of the thought of that man's intensity unleashed.

By the time she reached her apartment, she wondered how she was going to make it until 7.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot left the precinct only slightly after Olivia; his mind still wondering why Olivia had left so abruptly. He thought about this evening at Olivia's, hoping it meant exactly what he hoped, but slightly concerned about her feeling pressured into something she wasn't ready for.

He wasn't so naïve that he didn't think Olivia dated…even though she never told him about it anymore. He actively avoided thinking about it though, especially about just how many men she'd slept with. It wasn't any kind of judgment on his part; just a way to control the jealousy that would spark at the thought of it. It was probably the reason she didn't share that information with him anymore.

He wondered how things were going to play out when he got to Olivia's apartment. Should he bring flowers? Wine? Did she even like that kind of stuff? He didn't seem like the kind of woman that would, and yet, he knew his perception was colored by her persona he saw in the squad room every day. Beneath that was a living, breathing, beautiful, incredible, sexy _woman_, and she very well may appreciate the gesture.

He realized that was a lot he still didn't know about Olivia. It had struck him just the other day, when they'd sat on the couch and talked, and she had told him things about her past that he could scarcely believe. He had shared the same. But he realized he didn't know the woman that she was. Just the cop…the friend…the partner.

Suddenly, he decided he wanted to spoil her…to treat her like she deserved to be treated. He wanted to give her all the love and attention she'd never received.

God…he loved her.

The words popped into his head, and his heart exploded with emotion. He knew it…he had known it…but in that moment, the depth of his love for her struck him hard. He was an idiot not to have told her all these years. To keep that bottled up inside was a tragedy, and he was intent on showing her exactly just how much she meant to him.

EOEOEOEOEO

Olivia felt a nervous energy, and she checked her reflection in the mirror for about the tenth time. Elliot would be here any moment, and she wanted everything to be perfect. She had showered and shampooed and donned her favorite perfume. Her hair was done with a light curl, her eyes were lined with dark shadow, eyeliner and mascara, and her lips were perfectly glossed. She dabbed a little perfume between her breasts, wishing Elliot would get there before she lost her nerve.

As if on cue, the buzzer sounded. Olivia rushed over to the speaker.

"Let yourself in. I'll be ready in a minute." She said breathlessly and then she hit the buzzer to unlock the door. She drew in a deep breath, eagerly anticipating his arrival.

Elliot wanted to spring up the stairs, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and wait for the elevator. He hadn't been sure what to wear because he wasn't sure if this was a date or how to define it. In the end, he went for some dark jeans and a white button-down, rolling up the sleeves to give it a slightly more casual look. He had showered and shaved, telling himself he was being ridiculous, but he wanted to look good. He had used some cologne that Kathleen had given him a year or so back that was _guaranteed to drive woman wild_, or so she said.

He laughed at how nervous he was, but in his own defense, he hadn't been on a date in years…and certainly not with anyone that he cared about like he did tonight.

Elliot stopped just outside Olivia's door and told himself to calm the hell down. He took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly, fumbling for his keys in his pocket. He hesitated as he slid the key into the lock, wondering if he should still knock before going in, but she had told him to…so…

Here goes nothing.

He pushed the door open, wondering why she had told him to let himself in. The moment he crossed the threshold though, he saw exactly why she had instructed him to do so. The lights were on low, and there was a flickering of candles in the room, but his eyes were immediately drawn to Olivia. She was standing near the doorway to her bedroom, and he closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, hoping the sight before him wasn't a mirage. But no, there was Olivia, wearing his gray, zip-up hoodie, and by all appearances, not much else.

He couldn't keep his eyes from trailing slowly up her body. Her legs were toned and tanned…the black heels accentuating just how damned long they were. His eyes lingered on the hem of his sweatshirt, wondering briefly if she really was nude beneath the soft gray material, or if he saw a glimpse of back material at the apex of her thighs. He followed the trail the zipper made up her body…the pull landing between her breasts…and he imagined himself pulling it down and revealing her magnificent curves. A body he'd secretly lusted after for years.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Olivia's voice was deep and husky…full of lust and promise…and he felt it square in his groin.

"You look…" He selected and discarded a dozen words because nothing seemed to adequately express what was before his eyes. There had been many fantasies that included scenes like this, but they paled in comparison to what was in front of him now.

"Thank you." Olivia said, when he failed to finish his sentence.

"I…" His thoughts and words ceased when she started walking towards him, and in that moment, with the way she walked and the way she was staring at him, he felt like her prey.

Christ, he would go down willingly.

He watched her, unable to keep his eyes off her body, but as she neared, his eyes moved to hers. There was no mistaking her intent, and he was relieved that there would be no awkward discussions, or a night filled with second guessing just how far they would take things.

"Are those for me?"

Elliot followed her gaze, and noticed he was still holding the dozen red roses he had picked up for her. "Oh…yeah. I know it's cliché, but I stood in that flower shop and I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked and…" He stopped, realizing he was babbling, and handed her the flowers. It seemed silly now, but she gave him a big smile.

Olivia took them from him, and then moved closer. She leaned in, brushing her breasts against his chest while she whispered in his ear. "Thank you."

He felt another rush of heat through his body, and he was already hard.

God, this woman was a tease…a seductress. He was definitely seeing a different side of her and he briefly thought that no man would ever stand a chance once she turned her focus on him. There was nothing he would deny her in this moment, and he wanted her more than he ever had.

Olivia brushed past Elliot, giving him a lascivious look before she moved to the kitchen to look for a vase. She could tell that she had shocked the hell of out him, and she loved that after all these years, she could still do that. She could see the raw desire on his face…had felt his excitement as she had brushed up against him. It was exactly what she had hoped for. There was no question that he would end up in her bed tonight and that's right where she wanted him.

Elliot watched Olivia as she reached up in the cupboard for a vase, and the hem of the sweatshirt crept up, revealing more of her thigh and hip. He saw a thin strip of black lace, and the thought of that was even sexier than if she'd been completely naked underneath.

Olivia glanced over at him and saw him staring at her and gave him a knowing smile as she grabbed the vase and lowered herself back down. She started to arrange the flowers in the vase, wondering at what point Elliot was going to make his move. Everything she knew of him was as an alpha male, and now that she had clearly given permission, she knew it was only a matter of time.

Seconds later, as she continued to arrange the flowers, she heard him start to move, and she bit back a smile at how well she knew him. He had obviously taken off his shoes, and his steps were quiet, and she goosebumps broke out along her skin as he came up behind her. He braced his arms against the counter, one on either side of her, and caged her in. But he kept his body off of hers, and as much as she ached to lean back into him, but she held her ground.

"On my way over here…" He whispered in her ear. "I imagined all kinds of ways this could go tonight." He said. "But this…" He growled low and he felt a shiver run through Olivia's body. She had set the tone from the moment he had walked in the door, and now that he'd gotten over the shock, he was intent on satisfying her in every way possible. "Turn around." He said gruffly, interested on seeing how she would take him being in charge. Her acquiescence told him everything he needed to know.

He gave her only minimal space as she turned, and the moment her back was against the counter, he grasped her mouth with his, plunging his tongue deep inside, and kissed her deeply. He snaked his hand through her hair, anchoring her to him as he plundered her mouth. He released her suddenly, and pressed small, open-mouthed kisses down her jaw and her neck. His right hand was still buried in her hair, but he wrapped his left hand loosely around her neck…sliding his thumb back and forth along her collarbone as he nipped and sucked at the tender skin on her neck. He started to slide his hand down her skin…over the swell of her breasts…and he waited for her to tell him to stop but the only thing he heard is the small hitch in her breathing. His mind was spinning as he slid his hand lower, and then he realized he wanted to see her almost as much as he wanted to touch her. He pulled his mouth of her neck and his hand from her skin, and he heard a small noise from her. A complaint?

"I want to see you." Elliot said gruffly, and he took a half step back, eyeing the pull on the zipper. "Take it off."

Olivia's felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach at his rough demand…the ache in her body ratcheting up at the thought of his eyes taking in her. "Do it yourself." She challenged, giving him another lascivious stare as she purposefully spread her arms and rested her elbows on the counter on either side of her, giving him full permission.

Elliot's eyes flicked to hers and he saw the heat in her gaze. He started to reach for her when she uttered one dreadful word.

"Stop."

Elliot's hand hovered in the air between their bodies…and he was thankful for the low light so he could see her expression. She wasn't stopping this.

"You first." She said.

"What?" Elliot asked, confused by her request since his mind was singularly focused on getting that damned sweatshirt off.

"Take off your shirt first." She said. "That only seems fair." The man was in ridiculous shape, and the sight of that hard body and those muscular arms was always enough to make her body clench. She was glad to see he wasn't going to challenge her; and she understood that the same push and pull that dictated their daily lives could exist here. She watched as he took a few steps back and unbuttoned his shirt, noticing that he was doing it slowly…teasing her. His eyes were focused on hers, but as he pulled the shirt off, her eyes wandered down, taking him in just as he had done to her. The man was too damned sexy for his own good, and she reached out and dug her fingers into his belt, pulling him back towards her. Olivia reached out, flattening the palms of her hands against his chest, and tracing the hard lines of the muscles there. Then she ran her hands down his arms, until she had his hands in hers. She tugged him forward, kissing him hard and bit down on his lower lip before releasing him completely.

Elliot's hand went to his lip, swiping it with his thumb as if looking for blood, and he raised an eyebrow at her, surprised by it, but loving it. He reached for her hips and pushed her back roughly against the counter. She gasped slightly, but he saw a smile on her lips, and she put her arms on the counter as she had before. He reached for the pull on the zipper, and pulled it down slowly, peppering the swell of her breasts with small kisses. When the zipper reached her stomach, he slid one hand inside, flattening his palm against her ribs. He felt her muscles contract beneath his hand, and he stood up, wanting to see all that was revealed. He grabbed the zipper with his left hand and trailed his fingers of his right hand down her skin as it was revealed. He felt her trembling and seconds later, he felt lace. He was so hard, and his cock twitched as fingers continued their journey, down over the lace as it was revealed to him. The zipper ended at the crux of her thighs, and he tugged until the material parted. He could feel her heat, and he wanted to slide one finger down between her legs and see how useless the lace had become. But first…

He lifted his hand from her skin and heard another sound escape from her lips. He looked up and saw she had dropped her head back and her eyes were closed…a look of anticipation on her face. As he reached for the two sides of the sweatshirt, she lifted her head and looked directly at him. He found he damn near holding his breath as he pulled the material apart, revealing her breasts…her entire body…to him. Her breasts were full, and her nipples were peaked and dusky. He ached to take them in his hands, but he continued his perusal of her body. Her stomach was toned, and her hips were full, and the small scrap of lace that covered her made him weak in the knees.

Olivia stood up slightly and shrugged the material off her shoulders, and she watched as Elliot drank in every detail. She wasn't shy about her body, and she could see that Elliot was taking in every curve.

"Jesus." He muttered, almost under his breath, and Olivia wondered if she was supposed to hear him or not.

Elliot looked up at her. "You take my breath away." He said reverently.

Olivia felt herself blush, because while she'd had many men tell her that she was beautiful, Elliot's words meant so much more. She reached out her hands, intent on pulling him in for a kiss, but Elliot grasped her hands in his and clasped them to his chest.

"Olivia…" Elliot swallowed hard. "I need you to know…"

Olivia shook her head slightly, panic sweeping through her. For some reason she couldn't explain, she wasn't ready to hear whatever he was about to say. "Just kiss me." She said, cutting off his words by pressing forward and grasping his lips with hers. She could feel him resist slightly, and she worried he'd insist, but then he was kissing her back. She felt his hand on the small of her back as he pressed her body against his, and then words were lost as he pressed her against the counter once again. She could feel his hard length against her hip, and she moaned into his mouth.

Elliot knew they should take things slowly, but he knew it just wasn't going to be possible. He released her and growled his words into her ear. "I want you." The words seemed inadequate, but it conveyed he needed to say.

"I'm yours…" She whispered, dropping her head back and baring her neck to him. "I've always been yours."

The End

AN: Thanks to everyone's support throughout this story and others. I could have gone on and ended this in a smoldering sex scene, but I think we've had a good build-up and you can fill in the blanks. As always, I love to hear your thoughts (good and bad), and I'm sure I'm going to get some bad reviews at having left them in this predicament. But as I wrote it, it just felt right. I'm on to my next story. For the last two years, I've written a 'summer' story, which is more light-hearted and a little more of a crack fic. That's where I'm headed next!

I just want to give a shout out to my friend JessicaRNY. She just finished Breaking Point, an incredibly complex emotional roller coaster of an EO story that took over 10 years to complete. If you haven't read it, please do. It's beautifully written and a lot of angst and drama but watch for trigger warnings on some chapters. You can find it on FF, or tagged in my favorite stories on FF.

People always ask me about my favorite stories. You just have to look at my favorite stories and authors on FF to find some great authors.

Thanks again for your support!


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